cacophonous

adjective

ca·​coph·​o·​nous ka-ˈkä-fə-nəs 

-ˈkȯ-,

 also  -ˈka-

: marked by cacophony : harsh-sounding

like an old battlefield, once cacophonous with the clash of steel, the roar of cannon, the screams of wounded and dying men

—Brian Moore

cacophonously adverb

Synonyms

• discordant
• dissonant
• inharmonious
• unmelodious
• unmusical
• unvocal

Examples of cacophonous in a Sentence

the cacophonous chaos on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange

Recent Examples on the Web

That chaos is calibrated for maximum audacity thanks to visual effects supervisor Dan Sturm’s prudently incorporated CGI, which doesn’t skimp on the wow factor and is further amped up by composer Cody Fry’s cacophonous, rambunctious score. —Michael Rechtshaffen, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Sep. 2024

With all the instruments beginning to swell, forming a cacophonous sound, Ross needed a way to ground it all back and bridge with a gentler and softer tone. —Diego Ramos Bechara, Variety, 15 Aug. 2024

The album proves that Ice Spice can find the pocket no matter how cacophonous or sinister the beat, yet another reminder that rap hasn’t been a boys’ club for years. —Chris Kelly, Washington Post, 26 July 2024

Rahimi was particularly cacophonous but no anomaly: Data compiled by political scientists Lee Epstein, Andrew Martin and Michael Nelson showed that the term that just ended featured the highest number of concurring opinions per case since 1937, as far back as their records reach. —Ruth Marcus, Washington Post, 12 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin cacophōnus (borrowed from Greek kakóphōnos "disagreeable-sounding," from kako- caco- + -phōnos "having a sound [of the kind specified]," adjective derivative of phōnḗ "sound made by something living, voice, speech") + -ous — more at phono-

First Known Use

1782, in the meaning defined above