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 two primary action scenes are cacophonous and unexpected, exactly how Homicide always did it.
—
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 Aug. 2024
Berger made a cacophonous, confusing mess of the anti-war classic All Quiet on the Western Front back in 2022, and mistook its profound statements about the toll of conflict as an excuse for self-conscious seriousness drenched in bloody sturm-und-drang spectacle.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2024
Download more than a few apps and the notifications become a non-stop, cacophonous waterfall of nonsense.
—David Pierce, WIRED, 23 July 2017
The hotel sits close to Hoi An’s attractions while offering a quiet respite from the city’s lively, often cacophonous, streets.
—Lauren Mowery, Forbes, 19 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for cacophonous
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 20 Aug. 2024
Berger made a cacophonous, confusing mess of the anti-war classic All Quiet on the Western Front back in 2022, and mistook its profound statements about the toll of conflict as an excuse for self-conscious seriousness drenched in bloody sturm-und-drang spectacle.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2024
Download more than a few apps and the notifications become a non-stop, cacophonous waterfall of nonsense.
—David Pierce, WIRED, 23 July 2017
The hotel sits close to Hoi An’s attractions while offering a quiet respite from the city’s lively, often cacophonous, streets.
—Lauren Mowery, Forbes, 19 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for cacophonous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cacophonous
Adjective
-
Then there are the vitriolic anonymous posts that take on the shrill tone and tenor of a schoolyard back and forth.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Mar. 2025
-
Shakespeare’s play assumes the shrieks and shrill cries of a B-movie.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ pristine, industrial synth-forward score adds a fittingly dissonant soundscape with melodies that blossom once the pair’s relationship takes shape.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2025
-
His first two albums, the glitter-rave of Osama Season and the starkly dissonant Flex Musix, were entirely solo except for the beatmakers.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
12 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
To fix a noisy box spring, add sturdy material, such as thick cardboard or a thin piece of plywood in between the box spring and mattress.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
27 Feb. 2025
-
Despite being a man down, Ruben Amorim’s side were relatively comfortable in the second half as a noisy Old Trafford crowd enjoyed a win that increased the gap between the two teams to 16 points.—
Laurie Whitwell,
The Athletic,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
That leads to the second point: automating boring tasks, or delegating unpleasant things to the AI itself.—
John Werner,
Forbes,
9 Mar. 2025
-
Seed oils are typically made by pressing or crushing the seeds and then processing them further with chemicals and heat to remove elements that can leave the oil cloudy or with an unpleasant taste or odor.—
Jonel Aleccia,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cacophonous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cacophonous. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share