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
Mistakes do abound on Getting Killed, from cacophonous guitar skronks to stumble-drunk hi-hat taps that completely throw off a song’s rhythm.
—
Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2025
Cramming his wide screen with the comings and goings of a 24-character ensemble, Altman creates an incredible, cacophonous entertainment, equal parts comedy and tragedy, featuring terrific original songs and an unforgettable ending.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 18 July 2025
Apart from the occasional timid car—and the less timid, cacophonous crows—the East Nashville community appeared to be following weather warnings and taking advantage of the cozy Friday at home.
—Kirsten Fiscus, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
As ovaries decline, hormones change, and a harmonious symphony can turn into a cacophonous noise, impacting the entire body.
—Karina Zaiets, USA Today, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for cacophonous
Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2025
Cramming his wide screen with the comings and goings of a 24-character ensemble, Altman creates an incredible, cacophonous entertainment, equal parts comedy and tragedy, featuring terrific original songs and an unforgettable ending.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 18 July 2025
Apart from the occasional timid car—and the less timid, cacophonous crows—the East Nashville community appeared to be following weather warnings and taking advantage of the cozy Friday at home.
—Kirsten Fiscus, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
As ovaries decline, hormones change, and a harmonious symphony can turn into a cacophonous noise, impacting the entire body.
—Karina Zaiets, USA Today, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for cacophonous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cacophonous
Adjective
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Arriving in January, the California Post will be Murdoch’s transplant of his right-leaning tabloid the New York Post, replete with shrill headlines and randy gossip.—
Peter Bart,
Deadline,
11 Sep. 2025
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One option is to simply double down on the existing approach and become shriller.—
Robert G. Eccles,
Forbes.com,
11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Music unites the interconnecting stories in this saga and expands its passions, with a sumptuous score by composer Stephen Flaherty and lyricist Lynn Ahrens that taps into a wide range of American styles, idioms and amalgams, even as the second act turns more dissonant.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
17 Oct. 2025
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But Roofman, which Cianfrance also co-wrote, was clearly intended to be lighter fare and instead ends up in this dissonant in-between space tonally.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Even standard news programming is as noisy and disjointed as the output of a Bloomberg terminal.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
23 Oct. 2025
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Murray & His Blood Brothers, a blues-rock outfit comprised of singers and guitarists Mike Zito, Albert Castiglia and Jimmy Vivino, delivered a night of raucous, noisy blues and covers to the historic 2,360-person venue.—
Audrey Gibbs,
Nashville Tennessean,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Considering that Rebecca and Noah’s mom, Bina (Tovah Feldshuh), came off as equally unpleasant, Foster, Konner, and Kaplan kind of had to retool the character.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
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Despite being so unpleasant, hemorrhoid complications are surprisingly common.—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cacophonous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cacophonous. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.
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