shrillness
/'ʃrilnis/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- The quality of being high-pitched and piercing in sound: "Shrillness" refers to the characteristic of a sound that is loud, sharp, and unpleasant to the ear.
- The quality of being unpleasantly intense, vivid, or strident: "Shrillness" can also describe a non-auditory quality that is excessively sharp, harsh, or grating to the senses, such as a color or an emotional tone.
Examples of Usage
- Noun (Sound):
- The shrillness of the fire alarm made it impossible to ignore.
- Her voice rose to a painful shrillness when she argued.
- Noun (Non-Auditory Quality):
- The critic commented on the shrillness of the political rhetoric.
- The shrillness of the neon sign clashed with the quiet street.
Advanced Usage
- "with shrillness": used to describe the manner in which something is done or expressed.
- She protested with a surprising shrillness.
- "a note of shrillness": a trace or element of a sharp, unpleasant quality in speech or writing.
- His usually calm report contained a note of shrillness this time.
Variants and Related Words
- Shrill (adj): having a high-pitched and piercing sound or quality.
- a shrill whistle
- Shrill (verb): to make a high-pitched, piercing sound.
- The cicadas shrilled in the afternoon heat.
- Shrilly (adv): in a high-pitched and piercing manner.
- She laughed shrilly.
Synonyms
- Stridency: the quality of being loud, harsh, and grating.
- Pitch: the degree of highness or lowness of a sound (specifically when referring to a high pitch).
- Acuteness: sharpness or keenness, often of sound or sensation.
- Harshness: the quality of being unpleasantly rough or jarring.
Antonyms
- Softness: the quality of being gentle, low, or quiet in sound.
- Mellowness: the quality of being soft, rich, and pleasant, especially in sound or color.
- Dulcetness: the quality of being sweet and soothing to the ear.
Related Phrases and Idioms
(Note: "Shrillness" itself is not commonly used in specific idioms. However, it is related to the following expressions involving its adjective form, "shrill.") - To sound/shrill a note of...: to express a particular feeling or warning, often in a forceful or alarming way. - The article sounded a shrill note of alarm about the economy. - Shrill cries of protest: loud, high-pitched, and forceful expressions of objection. - The new policy was met with shrill cries of protest from the community.
Noun
- having the timbre of a loud high-pitched sound
- the quality of being sharp or harsh to the senses
- the shrillness of her hair color