SHRILL
shrill
(adjective) of colors that are bright and gaudy; “a shrill turquoise”
strident, shrill
(adjective) being sharply insistent on being heard; “strident demands”; “shrill criticism”
shrill, sharp
(adjective) having or emitting a high-pitched and sharp tone or tones; “a shrill whistle”; “a shrill gaiety”
shriek, shrill, pipe up, pipe
(verb) utter a shrill cry
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Adjective
shrill (comparative shriller, superlative shrillest)
High-pitched and piercing.
Having a shrill voice.
Sharp or keen to the senses.
(figuratively, derogatory, especially of a complaint or demand) Fierce, loud, strident.
Coordinate terms
• garish
• strident
Verb
shrill (third-person singular simple present shrills, present participle shrilling, simple past and past participle shrilled)
To make a shrill noise.
Noun
shrill (plural shrills)
A shrill sound.
Source: Wiktionary
Shrill, a. [Compar. Shriller; superl. Shrillest.] Etym: [OE. shril,
schril; akin to LG. schrell, G. schrill. See Shrill,v. i.]
Definition: Acute; sharp; piercing; having or emitting a sharp, piercing
tone or sound; -- said a sound, or of that which produces a sound.
Hear the shrill whistle which doth order give To sounds confused.
Shak.
Let winds be shrill, let waves roll high. Byron.
Shrill, n.
Definition: A shrill sound. [Obs.] Spenser.
Shrill, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Shrilled; p. pr. & vb. n. Shrilling.]
Etym: [OE. schrillen, akin to G. schrillen; cf. AS. scralletan to
resound loudly, Icel. skrölta to jolt, Sw. skrälla to shrill, Norw.
skryla, skr. Cf. Skirl.]
Definition: To utter an acute, piercing sound; to sound with a sharp,
shrill tone; to become shrill.
Break we our pipes, that shrilledloud as lark. Spenser.
No sounds were heard but of the shrilling cock. Goldsmith.
His voice shrilled with passion. L. Wallace.
Shrill, v. t.
Definition: To utter or express in a shrill tone; to cause to make a shrill
sound.
How poor Andromache shrills her dolors forth. Shak.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition