I. shrill 1 /ʃrɪl/ BrE AmE adjective
1 . a shrill sound is very high and unpleasant:
‘That’s not true,’ she protested in a shrill voice.
a shrill whistle
Fran uttered a shrill scream.
2 . shrill complaints, criticism, demands etc are too loud or strong and seem unreasonable:
He hated the shrill demands of the children.
—shrillness noun [uncountable]
—shrilly /ˈʃrɪl-li, ˈʃrɪli/ adverb
• • •
THESAURUS
■ sounds
▪ high-pitched higher than most sounds or voices:
He has a rather high-pitched voice.
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Bats make high-pitched squeaks.
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the high-pitched whine of a dentist's drill
▪ shrill high and unpleasant:
Her voice became more shrill.
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The bird has rather a shrill cry.
▪ piercing extremely high and loud, in a way that is unpleasant:
a piercing scream
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Suddenly I heard a piercing whistle.
▪ squeaky making very high noises that are not loud:
a squeaky gate
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squeaky floorboards
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a squeaky little voice
II. shrill 2 BrE AmE verb
1 . [intransitive] written to produce a very high and unpleasant sound:
The telephone shrilled twice.
2 . [transitive] to say something in a very high voice:
‘I hate you!’ she shrilled.