shrill

• POS: Adjective, Verb (usu participle)

CIDE DICTIONARY

shrill, a. [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."  [1913 Webster]
"Let winds be shrill, let waves roll high."  [1913 Webster]

shrill, n. 

 A shrill sound.  Spenser.  [1913 Webster]

shrill, v. i. [OE. schrillen, akin to G. schrillen; cf. AS. scralletan to resound loudly, Icel. skrölta to jolt, Sw. skrälla to shrill, Norw. skryla, skrla. 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."  [1913 Webster]
"No sounds were heard but of the shrilling cock."  [1913 Webster]
"His voice shrilled with passion."  [1913 Webster]

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."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

shrill, adj. & v.
--adj.
1 piercing and high-pitched in sound.
2 derog. (esp. of a protester) sharp, unrestrained, unreasoning.
--v.
1 intr. (of a cry etc.) sound shrilly.
2 tr. (of a person etc.) utter or send out (a song, complaint, etc.) shrilly.

Derivative

shrilly adv. shrillness n.

Etymology

ME, rel. to LG schrell sharp in tone or taste f. Gmc

THESAURUS

shrill

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

ROGET THESAURUS

shrill

Stridor

N stridor, creak, creaking, discord, stridor, roughness, sharpness cacophony, cacoepy, acute note, high note, soprano, treble, tenor, alto, falsetto, penny trumpet, voce di testa, creaking, stridulous, harsh, coarse, hoarse, horrisonous, rough, gruff, grum, sepulchral, hollow, sharp, high, acute, shrill, trumpet-toned, piercing, ear-piercing, high-pitched, high-toned, cracked, discordant, cacophonous.

Cry

VB cry, roar, shout, bawl, brawl, halloo, halloa, hoop, whoop, yell, bellow, howl, scream, screech, screak, shriek, shrill, squeak, squeal, squall, whine, pule, pipe, yaup, cheer, hoot, grumble, moan, groan, snore, snort, grunt, vociferate, raise up the voice, lift up the voice, call out, sing out, cry out, exclaim, rend the air, thunder at the top of one's voice, shout at the top of one's voice, shout at the pitch of one's breath, thunder at the pitch of one's breath, s'_egosiller, strain the throat, strain the voice, strain the lungs, give a cry.