cacophonous

adjective

ka-ˈkä-fə-nəs How to pronounce cacophonous (audio)
Definition of cacophonousnext
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cacophonous Yet a cacophonous encore is now playing across the South after a Supreme Court ruling last week. — ABC News, 6 May 2026 Yet a cacophonous encore is now playing across the South after a Supreme Court ruling last week. — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 5 May 2026 Fabric And Texture Color and pattern aren’t the only visual aspects that can stand between a cohesive look and one that seems like a cacophonous scene. — Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 27 Apr. 2026 The space was by turns eerily quiet and wildly cacophonous. — Elisabeth Rosenthal, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cacophonous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cacophonous
  1. shrill
  2. dissonant
  3. noisy
  4. unpleasant
Adjective
  • That trademark indecision of summer takes root in her words and spreads through the music until her vocals diverge in the chorus, peeling like a clementine’s skin as one shrill line scales upward and the other remains monotone.
    — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 21 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of shrill
Adjective
  • At the track’s apex Korten explodes in and out of dissonant broken chords against Mark Shim’s angular saxophone lines, an unexpected development that sneaks up on you thanks to Sorey’s sticky, slowly evolving drumming.
    — Rae-Aila Crumble, Pitchfork, 25 June 2026
  • This is reminding me of watching Slint play a reunion show in 2014 under the I-65 highway at a festival in Louisville, and how simultaneously awesome and cognitively dissonant that experience was.
    — Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 25 June 2026
Definition of dissonant
Adjective
  • These days, noisy, drunk, barely dressed visitors holiday hard in condos that have been converted into vacation rentals.
    — Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026
  • An hour before The Breakaway goes live, the production crew forms a human shield across a noisy central London street so presenter Orla Chennaoui can record her opening link uninterrupted.
    — Amelie Claydon, New York Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of noisy
Adjective
  • While some may be looking for more reasons to eat cookies, many more are simply hesitating to eat salads and other fresh produce amid a multistate outbreak of cyclospora, known for that unpleasant symptom, among others.
    — Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
  • Principal owner John Middleton recently discussed the challenging decision to dismiss longtime manager Rob Thomson, admitting that terminating employees remains the most difficult and unpleasant aspect of his executive role, even after decades.
    — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of unpleasant

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Cite this Entry

“Cacophonous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cacophonous. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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