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Glite Dictionary
ear rape

ear rape

1 9.9
A very loud, harsh sound that hurts your ears
  • noun
  • /ɪr reɪp/
  • Offensive
translation icon : tortura auditiva
  • The DJ's set turned into pure ear rape after he cranked up the volume.

Examples

  • People in online chats complain about ear rape when someone blasts static or distorted sounds.

  • That song is pure ear rape!

  • I had to take off my headphones because the sudden ear rape in the video hurt my ears.

  • I can't stand this ear rape any longer.

  • The band's latest album was such an assault on the ears that many fans described it as ear rape.

  • After turning up the volume, the distorted feedback from the speakers was pure ear rape.

  • Listening to that remix was like experiencing ear rape due to the overwhelming noise and chaos.

Antonyms

softness
1 1.6

A quiet, gentle sound, like a whisper or soft music

Surface Forms

ear rape singular
ear rapes plural

Morphology

ear + rape

The compound pairs 'ear' (the hearing organ) with 'rape' (a violent violation), so a literal reading can suggest an assault on the ears and thus gives a partial clue to an extremely loud, painful, or jarring sound. However, this is vulgar slang and its metaphorical, taboo usage and pragmatic force are culture-specific and not fully predictable from the words alone, so a B1 learner would only partially infer the meaning without prior exposure.

Etymology

Ear rape is a rude online slang phrase. It joins ear, meaning hearing, and the violent word rape, which people use as a strong picture of an 'attack' on the ears, so the phrase means 'extremely loud, distorted, or painful sound'.