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