as in shrill
marked by or producing a harsh combination of sounds
the cacophonous chaos on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
The space was by turns eerily quiet and wildly cacophonous.
—
Elisabeth Rosenthal, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
The time has come to accept that one’s voice might be fractured, imperfect, cacophonous and a bit unhinged.
—Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Miami Music Week is at its zenith this weekend, its cacophonous diversions and decibels aimed at the spring break crowd and other ears that haven’t been around for very long, highlighted by the DJ bonfire known as Ultra Music Festival.
—Ben Crandell, Sun Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for cacophonous
Elisabeth Rosenthal, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
The time has come to accept that one’s voice might be fractured, imperfect, cacophonous and a bit unhinged.
—Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026
Miami Music Week is at its zenith this weekend, its cacophonous diversions and decibels aimed at the spring break crowd and other ears that haven’t been around for very long, highlighted by the DJ bonfire known as Ultra Music Festival.
—Ben Crandell, Sun Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2026
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
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
-
That question is at the crux of Irish filmmaker John Carney’s sixth sometimes magical, at times tonally dissonant solo directorial feature.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
3 June 2026
-
But recent research found that members of the Tsimane’, a native Amazonian society in Bolivia, rate consonant and dissonant chords as equally pleasurable.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
This era of Jane Remover—the music, which mainlines the noisiest impulses of SounDC, the discourse—is brasher and more acidic than ever.—
Mano Sundaresan,
Pitchfork,
10 June 2026
-
His load can get a bit noisy, featuring a moderate leg kick and a slight bat wrap, but Ballinger operates with rhythm and consistently gets the barrel on the baseball.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
Toussaint, a Black British actor, also addressed unpleasant early backlash against his casting from internet trolls.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
4 June 2026
-
No, the most unpleasant part of descending into New York City's vast sewer system, according to former urban explorer Steve Duncan, was the cockroaches.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cacophonous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cacophonous. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
