shrill

[shril]

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adjective, shrill·er, shrill·est.

high-pitched and piercing in sound quality: a shrill cry.

producing such a sound.

full of or characterized by such a sound: shrill music.

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

marked by great intensity; keen: the shrill, incandescent light of the exploding bomb.

verb (used with or without object)

to cry shrilly.

noun

a shrill sound.

adverb

in a shrill manner; shrilly.

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

Related formsshrill·ness, nounshril·ly, adverbout·shrill, verb (used with object)un·shrill, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for shrilled

squawk, wail, screech, whoop, howl, squeal, yelp, hoot, shriek, roar, blare, shout, holler, yell, blow, resonate, reflect, boom, resound, sing

Examples from the Web for shrilled

Historical Examples of shrilled

"Five hundred and fifty," shrilled Ayoub's voice above the general din.
The Sea-Hawk
Raphael Sabatini
The mother came into the brick-paved yard and shrilled 'Paul!
Despair's Last Journey
David Christie Murray
He took the pipe in hand and turned it over and shrilled it at his lip.
Gilian The Dreamer
Neil Munro
"Go it, you deerhounds," shrilled an Irish tenor in the crowd.
The Brighton Boys in the Radio Service
James R. Driscoll
Ingrow shrilled, “Tickle him, prick him, pink him till he drinks!”
The Lady of Loyalty House
Justin Huntly McCarthy

British Dictionary definitions for shrilled

shrill

adjective

sharp and high-pitched in quality

emitting a sharp high-pitched sound

verb

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

(tr) rare to cause to produce a shrill sound

Derived Formsshrillness, nounshrilly, adverb

Word Origin for shrill

C14: probably from Old English scralletan; related to German schrill shrill, Dutch schrallen to shriek

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for shrilled

shrill

adj.

late 14c., schrylle "high-pitched, piercing" (of the voice), probably related to Old English scralletan "to sound loudly" and of imitative origin (cf. Low German schrell, German schrill "piercing, shrill"). Related: Shrillness; shrilly (adv.).

shrill

"to sound shrilly," c.1300, imitative (see shrill (adj.). Related: Shrilled; shrilling.