What does shrilled mean?
Shrilled is the past tense and past participle of the verb shrill, meaning to produce a high-pitched, piercing sound. It is most often used of things that emit sharp noises, such as whistles, alarms, telephones, sirens and bells, as in 'the whistle shrilled'. It can also describe a person speaking or crying out in a thin, penetrating voice, usually when excited, angry or frightened, as in 'she shrilled a warning'. The word carries a distinctly unpleasant connotation: a shrilled sound is not merely loud but sharp enough to cut through other noise and set the nerves on edge. Because of this, writers favour it when they want a sound to feel urgent, intrusive or startling. It is common in fiction, reportage and descriptive writing, and less usual in everyday speech, where people tend to say that something screeched or rang. Its usefulness lies in how much it conveys in a single word: pitch, volume and an element of alarm all at once.
verbPast tense and past participle of shrill: to make a high-pitched, piercing sound, or to utter something in a sharp, penetrating voice.
- Of a sound or voice: to make a high-pitched, piercing noise.
- To say or utter something in a high, sharp voice.
"The whistle shrilled across the frozen platform, and the crowd fell silent."
"The smoke alarm shrilled at three in the morning, jolting the whole household awake."
""Get out of there!" she shrilled, as the dog bolted toward the road."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does shrilled come from?
Shrilled is the past tense of the verb shrill, which developed from the adjective shrill, found in Middle English in the 14th century. The adjective is probably of imitative or echoic origin, and is related to similar-sounding Germanic words such as Low German schrell, meaning sharp or shrill. The verb use, meaning to make a shrill sound, appeared later, and the -ed ending is the regular English past tense suffix.
Related word forms
How shrilled is actually used
Common in narrative and journalistic prose, often as a more vivid alternative to 'rang' or 'sounded'. It carries a negative or jarring connotation, suggesting a sound that is unpleasantly sharp. When used of speech, it often implies agitation or irritation.
Easily confused with shrilled
Not to be confused with 'shrieked', which describes a sudden sharp cry, whereas 'shrilled' stresses the high, piercing quality of a sound.
'Thrilled' means greatly excited or delighted, while 'shrilled' means made a high, piercing sound.