ear-shattering

adjective

ear-shat·​ter·​ing

: distressingly or painfully loud : earsplitting

… there was an ear-shattering blast of trumpets, entirely off key …

—Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth, 1961

… the sound was an ear-shattering screech, like a freight train highballing with a partially locked brake.

—Alexander Stuart, Fortune, 3 May 1982

… delivered an ear-shattering performance that inspired fans to hurl themselves violently at the stage.

—People Weekly, 7 Sept. 1987

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1859, in the meaning defined above

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