shrill 1 of 3

as in to shriek
to cry out loudly and emotionally the mud-splattered bystanders were shrilling with outrage at the inconsiderate motorist

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

shrill

2 of 3

adjective

shrill

3 of 3

noun

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shrill
Verb
Harris guest-starred on Seinfeld for 27 episodes as the shrill Estelle Costanza, opposite Jerry Stiller as George’s father, Frank Costanza. Vulture, 3 Apr. 2022 The shrill, yet welcome, sound of children’s laughter fills the air. Essence, 23 Nov. 2022
Adjective
This device is very loud and shrill when operating. Kat De Naoum, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Oct. 2022 The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s increasingly shrill brand of Hindu nationalism has inflamed religious animosity within the country. Sadanand Dhume, WSJ, 9 June 2022
Noun
As such, The Studio is shrill and talky, its chaotic scenes sparked by random performers like Charlize Theron, Zac Efron, Olivia Wilde and Sarah Polley, all of whom want something from Remick. Peter Bart, Deadline, 10 Apr. 2025 The shrill, metallic banging noises of a jack hammer echoed around the White House on Monday as crews started removing the large, yellow Black Lives Matter mural down the street from the president's home. Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for shrill
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shrill
Verb
  • Three days before the biggest fireworks holiday of the year, the building exploded, sparking a fire that raged across the flat valley floor amid the sounds of fireworks popping and shrieking.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2025
  • Gypsy’s famous stage mother, played by shrieking Audra McDonald, is racialized in Broadway’s latest instance of gaslighting.
    Armond White, National Review, 13 June 2025
Noun
  • The rest of the group is rendered by capable performers, but their dialogue consists of rote exposition and the occasional scream, as pterodactyls dive-bomb them and T. rexes snap in their faces.
    David Sims, The Atlantic, 4 July 2025
  • Neighbors heard her screams and called for an ambulance.
    Laura A. Bischoff, The Enquirer, 4 July 2025
Verb
  • Following this, the masks came off, and the cause of all that squealing was revealed.
    Cal Roach, jsonline.com, 5 July 2025
  • Throughout a boisterous show with countless distorted jam sessions, White shuffled, squealed, stomped and screamed.
    Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Noun
  • Cicadas are back at it again in 2025, already emerging in droves to announce the approach of summer with their screeches.
    Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 30 May 2025
  • The screech of an infected is the first sign of trouble.
    EW.com, EW.com, 19 May 2025
Adjective
  • The Tatum injury sent Boston’s dynastic rise into a screeching halt.
    Kristian Winfield, Hartford Courant, 23 June 2025
  • The running faucet of titles came to a screeching halt after the Habs won 32 years ago.
    David Close, CNN Money, 17 June 2025
Noun
  • The footage shows the beautiful black cat not with a typical meow, but with a series of gentle squeaks.
    Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 June 2025
  • George's solo culminated in a symphony of squeaks before MJ Lenderman returned to the stage for a two-song encore.
    Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 17 May 2025
Adjective
  • Another wrong impression involves Morrison’s voice, which seems excited and high-pitched.
    Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2025
  • The Nashville singer-songwriter waited a full day with the high-pitched, pulsing sound before calling her doctor to check her ears.
    Adrianna Rodriguez, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • When Yuvi Agarwal began playing keyboard for a room full of dogs at the Denver Animal Shelter on Thursday, the music was hard to distinguish between the barks and yelps of his audience.
    Katie Langford, Denver Post, 30 May 2025
  • Yungblud’s voice — a piercing yelp that exists somewhere between Gerard Way’s wail and Brian Molko’s sneer — slotted him in the alt-rock world, but his aspirations seemed to stretch far beyond that categorization.
    Maura Johnston, Rolling Stone, 21 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Shrill.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shrill. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.

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