shrill

American  

[shril] / ʃrɪl /

adjective

shriller, shrillest

1. high-pitched and piercing in sound quality.

   a shrill cry.

2. producing such a sound.

3. full of or characterized by such a sound.

   shrill music.

4. betraying some strong emotion or attitude in an exaggerated amount, as antagonism or defensiveness.

5. marked by great intensity; keen.

   the shrill, incandescent light of the exploding bomb.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. to cry shrilly.

noun

1. a shrill sound.

adverb

1. in a shrill manner; shrilly.

shrill British  

/ ʃrɪl /

adjective

1. sharp and high-pitched in quality

2. emitting a sharp high-pitched sound

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verb

1. to utter (words, sounds, etc) in a shrill tone

2. rare (tr) to cause to produce a shrill sound

Other Word Forms

• outshrill verb (used with object)
• shrillness noun
• shrilly adverb
• unshrill adjective

Etymology

Origin of shrill

1300–50; Middle English shrille (adj., v.); akin to Old English scrallettan to sound loudly; cognate with German schrill (adj.), schrillen (v.); compare Old Norse skrīll rabble

Explanation

A shrill sound is high pitched and sharp, like the squeak of the mouse in your cupboard or the sound of your “eek” when you hear it. Closer to a shriek than a trill, a shrill tone is one that might make you cover your ears, usually because the tone is so high and sharp. A high pitched voice, a classroom of excited first graders, or the sound of chalk scraping the board can all be shrill, as can a color or light that looks as sharp and intense as a shrill tone sounds.

Example Sentences

“My grandmother was a sharecropper in Arkansas, and I know that this is the same thing,” a man shouts at one point as whistles shrill and a handheld siren wails.

From Slate • Feb. 11, 2026

The response around baseball to Tucker’s contract was as shrill as it was predictable.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 16, 2026

Bars beckon along our path of modern-day “riau-riau music, the pipes shrill and the drums pounding,” and we dance our way in and out of a few joints, looking for the right madness.

From Salon • Nov. 8, 2025

Thatcher was seen as "strange and shrill" when she got the job, but became the party's most successful boss of modern times.

From BBC • Oct. 4, 2025

The voice was high, and shrill, and commanding.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

Related Words

• deafening
• discordant
• earsplitting
• noisy
• piercing
• raucous
• sharp
• strident