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 of cacophonous

• shrill
• dissonant
• noisy
• unpleasant

Examples of cacophonous in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Upon our arrival at the gates of Allianz Parque, Latinidad spilled out of every corner in a cacophonous mix of languages — Portuguese, Spanish, English and even some French — fashion and excited energy. —Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026

The cacophonous construction in the film opening scene is of a ramshackle company hut for Junior’s whole family to live in — nothing more than a one-room shed, it’s cramped and unequal to the coming rainy season. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 22 Feb. 2026

If battling it out to snag a fancy dinner reservation or shouting over the cacophonous noise of a packed dining room feels more exhausting than romantic, there are alternatives. —Victoria Caruso, Washington Post, 26 Jan. 2026

Trump’s second term has been cacophonous with threats—to acquire Greenland, ethnically cleanse Gaza, make a state of Canada, throw the world economy into convulsions. —Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2026

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

Rhymes for cacophonous

• saphenous