banshee wail
Death omen's cry
A banshee wail is a prolonged, high-pitched shriek or cry, evoking the supernatural creature from Irish folklore whose wailing supposedly foretold death.
The phrase describes any sound—human or mechanical—that is piercing, mournful, and eerily sustained: The ambulance's banshee wail cut through the night.
It can also characterize an intense vocal expression of grief or distress: She let out a banshee wail when she heard the news.
- shriekShrill, piercing cry
- screamLoud sharp cry
- howlProlonged mournful cry
- keeningVocal mourning for dead
- mournfulShowing or feeling grief
ghost · specter · restless spirit · Irish folklore · death · death omen · omen · piercing · cry · lament · haunting · eerie · spirit · supernatural · mourn · shrill · unearthly · hair raising
- loud criesscream, screech, shriek, yell, howl
- spellsspell, cast, conjure, curse, enchantment
- paranormalghosts, paranormal, haunting, poltergeist, apparition
- creature partsdragon scales, dragon wings, mermaid tail, unicorn horn, vampire fangs
- screechingshriek, screech, squeal, screaming, squawk
- cursescurse, curses, hex, hexes, jinx
banshee wailsilence
Total lack of sound
whisper · murmur · dulcet tones · quiet · hushed tones
banshee, wail, banshees, wails, wailed, wailing, wailer, wailers