trilling 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of trillingnext
as in warbling

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trilling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of trill
as in quavering
to sing with the alternation of two musical tones a bluebird trilled outside our window

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of trilling
Verb
The chihuahuan raven has a somewhat different vocalization, with more of a trilling quality to its croak. — Blythe Copeland, Martha Stewart, 31 Aug. 2026 Rock Harbor to Daisy Farm Campground This trail almost entirely follows the coast for 7 miles, with a soundtrack of lapping waves, trilling loons, and the occasional outboard motor. — Robert Annis, Midwest Living, 7 June 2026 In a now-viral clip, Carpenter overheard someone from the crowd trilling during her set for Weekend 1 and asked if the audience member was yodeling. — Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 11 Apr. 2026 Sounds of loud trilling shouts after silent hunts, and singing. — Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025 The blast furnace of volcanoes has fallen silent, replaced by birdsong trilling from the branches and echoing through a garden of exotic stone. — Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 29 Aug. 2025 Expect to marvel at saddles blanketed in blueberries and multi-hued wildflowers, marmots trilling their warnings, ibex perched on rocky spines, and neon critters that wiggle and hop underfoot. — Wendy Altschuler, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trilling
  1. warbling
  2. quavering
  3. resonant
  4. chanting
  5. sonorous
  6. melodic
  7. appealing
  8. pleasant
Adjective
  • Nine’s creaking, warbling cadence makes for a Thug/Carti hybrid that’s distinct but still close enough to be familiar and palatable.
    — Olivier Lafontant, Pitchfork, 16 Apr. 2026
  • The song may be six minutes long, but the circuitous lope of his acoustic-guitar strum and low throb of his warbling feel eternal, like the type of tune Sisyphus might have hummed to keep himself company.
    — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
Definition of warbling
Verb
  • Tiny Silver was a birdlike woman, either very young or very old, quavering.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 July 2026
  • Softly so as not to drown out the quavering notes, the congregation put words to the melody.
    — Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 July 2026
Definition of quavering
Adjective
  • Layered background sighs, a resonant lead vocal, autumnal acoustic guitar flickers, synths both eerie and trippy—James has all his tricks on tap.
    — Ryan Leas, Pitchfork, 28 Aug. 2026
  • But the ingredients were all present, beginning with that singular singing voice, low, resonant and unabashedly passionate, the antidote to a decade of hard-rock singers trying to out-high-note each other.
    — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of resonant
Verb
  • First, the Huskies mixed it up with some marching band members on the practice field outside of Huskie Stadium, jumping in on a routine and exchanging fight songs, with the players chanting, clapping and pumping their fists during their version.
    — Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • This fanatical regime has been chanting death to America, death to Israel, for 47 years.
    — Steven Beynon, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of chanting
Adjective
  • Assuming the role of a human clapper, Holzinger struck its lip again and again, sending a sonorous peal across the Biennale grounds.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 24 June 2026
  • In addition to his film, TV and theater work, Yun has also narrated a ton of Korean documentaries over the years thanks to his sonorous voice.
    — Regina Kim, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Definition of sonorous
Adjective
  • Its core 1970s grinding yet melodic bluesy approach didn’t shift when synthesizers became the rage in the 1980s or when grunge overtook the rock world in the 1990s.
    — Rodney Ho, AJC.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Bully’s amalgam of punk, grunge and melodic alt sounds has earned it a national following over the course of the past ten years.
    — John D. Luerssen, SPIN, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of melodic
Adjective
  • Clean windows bring more light into a home and make the view more appealing.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 29 Aug. 2026
  • South Korea created a system that catches things early, making a Seoul wellness trip highly appealing for international visitors.
    — Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of appealing
Adjective
  • But a pleasant, elegant note does not match the intimacy—the intentionality—of speaking.
    — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Only Ann Patchett could write such a pleasant, amiable novel about death, and only a horse could serve as her essential metaphor for peaceful salvation.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of pleasant

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trilling
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Cite this Entry

“Trilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trilling. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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