shrill
verb
, especially Southern ˈsril\
Definition of shrill
(Entry 1 of 3)
shrill
adjectiveDefinition of shrill (Entry 2 of 3)
shrill
nounDefinition of shrill (Entry 3 of 3)
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Other Words from shrill
Adjective
, especially Southern ˈsril- \
adverb
Synonyms & Antonyms for shrill
Synonyms: Verb
howl, scream, screech, shriek, squall, squeal, yell, yelp
Synonyms: Adjective
high-pitched, piping, screeching, shrieking, squeaking, squeaky, treble, whistling
Antonyms: Adjective
bass, deep, grave, low, throaty
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Examples of shrill in a Sentence
Verb
the mud-splattered bystanders were shrilling with outrage at the inconsiderate motoristAdjective
the shrill sound of a policeman's whistleRecent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Fanfiction is still dismissed as a serious literary genre, lampooned as something only shrill teen girls write — even though many of those girls grow up to become Hugo-winning authors themselves (who still write fanfiction). — Aja Romano, Vox, "4.7 million fanfics are now Hugo winners, thanks to AO3 and the transformative culture that built it.," 19 Aug. 2019 One set of eggs was placed in a chamber that periodically played the shrill warning calls of adult gulls. — Jennifer Leman, Scientific American, "Bird Embryos Vibrate to Warn One Another of Danger before They Hatch," 22 July 2019 Five, academia became politicized as a shrill agent of cultural transformation rather than focusing on education — while charging more for less learning. — Victor Davis Hanson, The Mercury News, "Hanson: Why are Western middle classes revolting against the elites?," 13 June 2019 Angry women are stigmatized and ste reo typed: shrill wife, crazy ex-girlfriend, feminazi. — Longreads, "Demonology: A Woman’s Right to Fury," 10 June 2019 Nowadays the cry would be taken as a deodorant advertisement, but in that distant past, serving underarm—while providing shrill warning at the same time—was a form of bad sportsmanship cleverly disguised to look like good sportsmanship. — Jon Wertheim, SI.com, "50 Parting Thoughts From the 2019 French Open: Rafa, Barty and So Much More," 9 June 2019 Then came Pam Tanowit’z Batók Ballet (another world premiere), which gave the audience something to think about with its plucky, shrill music (a string quartet named FLUX). — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, "The New York City Ballet Starts Its Spring Season With Two World Premieres," 4 May 2019 Tutton was visibly moved during his first mini solo spot, but each member received his own distinct timbre of shrill adulation during the group intros. — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Best and worst of Summerfest Day 4: In Real Life, Kaleo, Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang and more," 30 June 2018 It’s too easy for politicians looking for a boogeyman to think of reporters as the shrill pundits arguing on TV. — Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, "I’m feeling like a kid in America after the shootings of my fellow journalists," 28 June 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
With the shrill of whistles breaking either the 8 a.m. or the 4 p.m. quiet on the various campuses, the start time for the respective teams, workouts have now taken on major urgency. — Robert Avery, Houston Chronicle, "Fall is in the air as Pasadena ISD’s football camps get to work in an urgent way," 7 Aug. 2019 The morning soundtrack is a shrill buzz of electric saws, and at dusk, the amplified broadcast of the town council meeting. — Natalie Keyssar, National Geographic, "How this quiet region in Guatemala became the epicenter of migration," 26 July 2019 With taps running dry, voices are getting shrill and the government, as a band-aid measure, has set aside ten million dollars for a 50-wagon train to ferry 10 million liters (about 3 million gallons) of water every day from the Cauvery to Chennai. — National Geographic, "India’s water crisis could be helped by better building, planning," 15 July 2019 The shrills first arose when the record-signing refused teammate Edinson Cavani the opportunity to make history by not allowing him to take a penalty against Olympique Lyon. — SI.com, "Concerns About Neymar's Long Term PSG Future as Brazilian Finds Appeasing Parisians Challenging," 24 Jan. 2018 Inside a lobby of a downtown Tuscaloosa hotel, the shrill of a phone ring echoes. — Rainer Sabin, AL.com, "How the coach who followed Bear Bryant still has his fingerprints on Alabama," 29 Aug. 2017 Inside are piles of shrill and whining piccolo petes, neon flame-spouting blazing rebels and mounds of sparklers. — Alex Harris, miamiherald, "Under the white tents, fireworks salespeople have big dreams for the money they make," 3 July 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shrill.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for shrill
shrill
verb
English Language Learners Definition of shrill
(Entry 1 of 2)
shrill