cacophonic

1 9.3

Has a loud, harsh sound that is unpleasant

adjective
/kæˈkɑːfənɪk/

: cacofónico

The cacophonic noise of the traffic made it hard to concentrate on my work.

Examples

During the concert, the band created a cacophonic sound that left the audience confused.
We called alternately and in cacophonic unison:

Fiction book (1991)
The public, however, remained baffled by the 1200 pages, brilliantly insightful, nervous, rich, cacophonic, and bigoted, arguably the most intriguing and the least read of Dostoyevski's compositions.

Academic text (2003)
As the children played, their cacophonic laughter filled the playground with a chaotic energy.

Synonyms

shrill

vscacophonic

31 4.8

A very high, sharp sound that is unpleasant and loud

is the general notion of harsh or unpleasant sound without pitch focus

raucous

vscacophonic

31 7.1

Making a loud, rough, and unpleasant sound that hurts your ears

is the general term for unpleasant or discordant sound, not only loudness

jarring

vscacophonic

20 6.1

A loud, harsh sound that feels unpleasant and surprising

describes harsh sound generally rather than focusing on shock

scratchy

vscacophonic

14 3.7

Harsh, rough sound or voice that is unpleasant to hear

is the overall notion of harsh or discordant auditory quality

raspy

vscacophonic

13 5.8

A rough, harsh voice or sound that feels unpleasant to hear

is the general label for unpleasant or discordant sounds

gravelly

vscacophonic

7 6.5

A low, rough voice that sounds harsh and scratchy

is the broad concept covering many unpleasant sound types

dissonant

vscacophonic

Specialized

3 7.3

A combination of musical notes that sounds harsh and unsettled

applies to harsh sounds beyond musical note combinations

cacophonous

vscacophonic

2 8.4

Making a loud, harsh noise that is unpleasant to hear

is the adjective form with a slightly different ending in writing

jangly

vscacophonic

1 8.1

A thin, harsh ringing sound like metal hitting together

is the general term for unpleasant sound without metallic focus

grating

vscacophonic

1 6.2

A harsh, unpleasant sound or voice that is hard to listen to

is the broader term for any harsh, unpleasant sound quality

unmusical

vscacophonic

1 6.0

Having a harsh sound that is not pleasant to hear

emphasizes unpleasant, harsh noise rather than just missing melody

clangorous

vscacophonic

1 8.9

Making a loud, ringing sound like metal hitting metal

covers harsh and unpleasant sounds beyond metallic resonance

squawky

vscacophonic

1 7.5

A loud harsh sound like a bird's cry that is unpleasant

is the wider descriptor for unpleasant or discordant sound types

shrieky

vscacophonic

1 7.2

Making a very high, loud, annoying sound that hurts your ears

is broader and includes many unpleasant sound pitches, not only high

inconsonant

vscacophonic

9.9

Making a harsh, clashing sound

is the more general label for unpleasant, discordant sound

inharmonic

vscacophonic

9.9

A sound that does not fit with other tones and seems rough

is the wider description for harsh or unpleasant noises

disharmonic

vscacophonic

7.7

A sound that clashes with other sounds and feels unpleasant

is the general term for harsh, unpleasant auditory quality

unmelodious

vscacophonic

8.0

Not having a pleasant, musical sound

focuses more on unpleasant and discordant sound than melody absence

harsh-voiced

vscacophonic

6.8

A voice or sound that is rough and unpleasant

refers more broadly to any harsh or discordant sound quality

rasping

vscacophonic

6.9

Harsh and rough in a way that hurts the ears

is the wider term for unpleasant or discordant noises

raspatory

vscacophonic

9.9

Making a harsh, grating sound like metal scraping

is the general description for harsh, unpleasant sound

stridulous

vscacophonic

9.9

Making a loud, harsh, grating sound like some insects make

is broader and not limited to creak or insectlike noises

clashy

vscacophonic

8.4

Having a harsh, unpleasant mix of colors, sounds, or styles

focuses specifically on unpleasantness in sound rather than broader clash

dysphonic

vscacophonic

9.8

A harsh, unpleasant sound that hurts the ears

is the broad name for any harsh, unpleasant, or discordant sound

Antonyms

melodic

18 3.9

It has a pleasant tune that is easy to sing

harmonious

2 4.2

Sounds that blend in a pleasant way

How Harsh

earsplitting

6.3

grating

1 6.2

cacophonic

1 9.3

raucous

31 7.1

loud

733 1.0

noisy

125 1.0

Surface Forms

cacophonic positive

cacophonical positive

Morphology

cacophonic = cacophony (semi-transparent) = caco + phon + ic

Formed by regular derivation from the noun 'cacophony' with the adjective-forming suffix '-ic', so the relation to that base is clear.

Etymology

Cacophonic comes from Greek parts caco- meaning 'bad' and -phonic meaning 'sound', the same 'phone' you know from telephone. So a cacophonic noise is a 'bad sound', which is why we use it for harsh, unpleasant sounds.