shrill
Other forms: shrilled; shriller; shrillest; shrills
A shrill sound is high pitched and sharp, like the squeak of the mouse in your cupboard or the sound of your “eek” when you hear it.
Closer to a shriek than a trill, a shrill tone is one that might make you cover your ears, usually because the tone is so high and sharp. A high pitched voice, a classroom of excited first graders, or the sound of chalk scraping the board can all be shrill, as can a color or light that looks as sharp and intense as a shrill tone sounds.
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having or emitting a high-pitched and sharp tone or tones“a shrill whistle”“a shrill gaiety”
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being sharply insistent on being heard
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of colors that are bright and gaudy
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utter a shrill cry
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Vocabulary lists containing shrill
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