Word
shrill
US/ˈʃɹɪɫ/
UK/ʃɹˈɪl/
Definition
v. to make a loud, high-pitched, and unpleasant sound. You use this when someone is screaming or when a machine is making a very annoying noise.
v. to produce a high-pitched, piercing, and often unpleasant sound. Intransitive — typically describes the sound of a voice or a mechanical device.
Examples
“The alarm started to shrill in the middle of the night.”
“The angry crowd began to shrill as the politician refused to answer their questions.”
“As the pressure in the reactor continued to rise, the safety valves began to shrill, signaling an imminent failure that required immediate evacuation.”
Examples
simple
“The alarm started to shrill in the middle of the night.”
contextual
“The angry crowd began to shrill as the politician refused to answer their questions.”
complex
“As the pressure in the reactor continued to rise, the safety valves began to shrill, signaling an imminent failure that required immediate evacuation.”
Real-World Examples
“With his delivery veering towards the shrill and over-astounded, he doesn’t yet look totally at ease on stage.” “Just one of a number of terms including emotional, irrational and shrill, all essentially meaning the same thing: “crazy lady” or one who may or may not be on her period.” Etymology
From Late Middle English schrille, shirle, shrille (“of a sound: high-pitched, piercing; producing such a sound”), possibly from the earlier shil, schille (“loud, resounding; high-pitched”), from Old English scill (“sonorous sounding”), of Germanic origin and probably ultimately imitative. The r in the word was introduced by analogy to Middle English skrīke, skrīken, scrēmen, possibly to avoid confusion with non-Anglian forms of schelle (modern English shell) where Old English scill (“sonorous sounding”) and scill (“shell”) existed. The word is cognate with Icelandic skella (“crash, bang, slam”), Low German schrell (“sharp in taste or tone”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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