as in shrill
marked by or producing a harsh combination of sounds
the cacophonous chaos on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange
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Recent Examples of cacophonous
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
This time, the commission’s bargaining position was undercut from the start by a cacophonous chorus, with key member states preemptively voicing their opposition to retaliation.
—Matthias Matthijs, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2025
By making the dialogue more cacophonous as the pressure mounts, Ottosson replicates the feelings of the characters, who have trained hundreds of times for various scenarios — but are now experiencing something that goes beyond their typical exercises.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 26 Nov. 2025
Nestled among the tourist-heavy streets of Soho in the heart of London — far from the bright city lights and cacophonous traffic — is a man in a dark, quiet room.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 12 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cacophonous
Guy Lodge, Variety, 22 Feb. 2026
This time, the commission’s bargaining position was undercut from the start by a cacophonous chorus, with key member states preemptively voicing their opposition to retaliation.
—Matthias Matthijs, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2025
By making the dialogue more cacophonous as the pressure mounts, Ottosson replicates the feelings of the characters, who have trained hundreds of times for various scenarios — but are now experiencing something that goes beyond their typical exercises.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 26 Nov. 2025
Nestled among the tourist-heavy streets of Soho in the heart of London — far from the bright city lights and cacophonous traffic — is a man in a dark, quiet room.
—Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 12 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cacophonous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cacophonous
Adjective
-
On shrill winter nights, Moscow’s power is conspicuous, its Orthodox cathedrals and Stalinist high-rises illuminated, though the view falls dim in the autumn and spring, shrouded in sheets of greige.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The chaos is still an acceptable price to pay for Birney’s expertly offputting performance, a shrill mania that gets increasingly comic over time.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Eisenberg plays a lot of acoustic guitar, sticks mostly to normie chords, and largely avoids dissonant tangles, opting for a bright, translucent sound.—
Reed Jackson,
SPIN,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The Brooklyn psych-folk artist’s 2025 debut, newly reissued by AD 93, is dissonant, ghostly, and otherworldly, summoning complex emotions with sparse tools.—
Vrinda Jagota,
Pitchfork,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
This means no two sensors are exactly alike, leading to noisy data and inconsistent results.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Lesser known but notably noisier acts were relegated to another section of the grounds, where the Diablo Stage stood, attracting non-stop aggressive movement.—
Lina Lecaro,
Rolling Stone,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The dusty chocolate coating is bitter and unpleasant, and there isn’t enough salt to offset it.—
Alex Beggs,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Some of it has been very unpleasant for me and many others, especially those who look like me.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cacophonous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cacophonous. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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