ZebraWords.com - The Definition of 'Shrill', Synonyms of 'Shrill' & More on 'Shrill'

1. WordNet® 3.0 (2006)

shrill
    adj 1: having or emitting a high-pitched and sharp tone or tones
           ; "a shrill whistle"; "a shrill gaiety" [syn: shrill,
           sharp]
    2: being sharply insistent on being heard; "strident demands";
       "shrill criticism" [syn: strident, shrill]
    3: of colors that are bright and gaudy; "a shrill turquoise"
    v 1: utter a shrill cry [syn: shriek, shrill, pipe up,
         pipe]

2. The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Shrill \Shrill\, a. [Compar. Shriller; superl. Shrillest.]
   [OE. shril, schril; akin to LG. schrell, G. schrill. See
   Shrill,v. i.]
   Acute; sharp; piercing; having or emitting a sharp, piercing
   tone or sound; -- said of a sound, or of that which produces
   a sound.
   [1913 Webster]

         Hear the shrill whistle which doth order give
         To sounds confused.                      --Shak.
   [1913 Webster]

         Let winds be shrill, let waves roll high. --Byron.
   [1913 Webster]

3. The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Shrill \Shrill\, n.
   A shrill sound. [Obs.] --Spenser.
   [1913 Webster]

4. The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Shrill \Shrill\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Shrilled; p. pr. & vb. n.
   Shrilling.] [OE. schrillen, akin to G. schrillen; cf. AS.
   scralletan to resound loudly, Icel. skr["o]lta to jolt, Sw.
   skr[aum]lla to shrill, Norw. skryla, skr?la. Cf. Skirl.]
   To utter an acute, piercing sound; to sound with a sharp,
   shrill tone; to become shrill.
   [1913 Webster]

         Break we our pipes, that shrilledloud as lark.
                                                  --Spenser.
   [1913 Webster]

         No sounds were heard but of the shrilling cock.
                                                  --Goldsmith.
   [1913 Webster]

         His voice shrilled with passion.         --L. Wallace.
   [1913 Webster]

5. The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Shrill \Shrill\, v. t.
   To utter or express in a shrill tone; to cause to make a
   shrill sound.
   [1913 Webster]

         How poor Andromache shrills her dolors forth. --Shak.
   [1913 Webster]

Thesaurus Results for shrill:

1. Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

absonant, acute, argute, atonal, cacophonous, caterwaul, cracked, creak, creaky, diaphonic, disconsonant, discordant, disharmonic, disharmonious, dissonant, ear-piercing, ear-splitting, flat, grating, harsh, high, high-pitched, howl, howling, immelodious, inharmonic, inharmonious, keen, keening, musicless, nonmelodious, off, off-key, off-tone, out of pitch, out of tone, out of tune, penetrating, piercing, pipe, piping, raucous, reedy, screak, screaky, scream, screech, screeching, screechy, sharp, shriek, shrieking, shrieky, skirl, skreigh, sour, squawk, squeak, squeaking, squeaky, squeal, strident, thin, treble, tuneless, ululant, ululation, unharmonious, unmelodious, unmusical, untunable, untuned, untuneful, wail, wailing, whine, whining, whistle, whistling, yammer

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