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
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
Fried and the cacophonous home crowd in his proverbial corner, were a lethal combination for the Yankees in the first six innings.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 1 Oct. 2025
Bowling at run-hungry batters on largely unforgiving pitches in vast, cacophonous stadiums with huge outfields in front of a partisan and at times baying crowd — plenty of English bowlers have found bowling in Australia akin to a Sisyphean task.
—James Wallace, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for cacophonous
Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 12 Nov. 2025
Fried and the cacophonous home crowd in his proverbial corner, were a lethal combination for the Yankees in the first six innings.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 1 Oct. 2025
Bowling at run-hungry batters on largely unforgiving pitches in vast, cacophonous stadiums with huge outfields in front of a partisan and at times baying crowd — plenty of English bowlers have found bowling in Australia akin to a Sisyphean task.
—James Wallace, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for cacophonous
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cacophonous
Adjective
-
There’s a straight line between the criminal investigation of Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell and increasingly shrill threats to seize Greenland.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Jan. 2026
-
With sports gambling legalized throughout much of the country and growing rapidly, the NCAA and the sports gambling industry should be hearing shrill alarm bells in this indictment and acting accordingly.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
20 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The contrast of the narrative established by the plates is comparable to jazz music, with its rhythm and repetition broken up by unexpected and sometimes dissonant improvisations, the Art Institute said.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
3 Feb. 2026
-
That film, which starred Stanfield alongside Tessa Thompson, established Riley as a filmmaker unafraid to blend satire with surreal, often dissonant ideas.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Closer to beach and mountain weekends, and to big, noisy holiday gatherings, and to raising children who got to see their grandparents all the time.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The album’s best moments come when Joji deploys the noisy, aggressive production favored by morose rappers like fakemink, Bladee, and Playboi Carti.—
Mehan Jayasuriya,
Pitchfork,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
When Luna conjoins intense Pluto, our feelings about such shifts might burst out in unpleasant ways!—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Though a person infected with the virus may experience unpleasant symptoms, others may be asymptomatic and show no symptoms at all.—
Adrianna Rodriguez,
USA Today,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cacophonous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cacophonous. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
