shrill.

1. Very high-pitched and sharp in a way that is hard to ignore.

2. Harsh, insistent, and excessive in expressing an opinion or demand.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• a shrill cry
• a shrill whistle

On the page

A shrill whistle cut through the engine noise and sent the crew running.

Usage notes

Primary category: sensory / description. Forms: Comparative shriller; superlative shrillest. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description. Commonness: moderately common.