cacophonous
Painfully unharmonious sounds
Cacophonous describes harsh, discordant, jarring sound—the opposite of harmonious or euphonious.
A cacophonous noise assaults the ears: the cacophonous clatter of construction equipment, a cacophonous blend of car horns and shouting.
The word extends to anything chaotically unpleasant: a cacophonous debate where no one listened.
Sustained unpleasant noise
- clamorLoud persistent noise
- racketUproar, scam, or paddle
- uproarNoisy public disturbance
- pandemoniumState of utter confusion
bedlam · tumult · hullabaloo · commotion · babel · clangor · clatter · blare
Crossed bars or harsh
- stridentHarsh and piercing
- piercingPenetrating or very sharp
- screechingMaking harsh high sounds
- raspingHarsh and grating
squealing · shrill · scratchy · earsplitting · abrasive · grinding · scraping · metallic
Lacking harmonic agreement
- inharmoniousLacking pleasing agreement
- jarringDisturbingly incongruous
- clashingStriking with discord
- atonalWithout musical key
off-key · tuneless · unmelodious · disharmonic · dissonance · discordance · disharmony · out-of-tune
Loud and disorderly
- rowdyNoisily disorderly
- boisterousNoisily cheerful and energetic
- riotousMarked by unrestrained disorder
- clamorousLoudly insistent or demanding
tumultuous · uproarious · frenetic · unruly · wild · vociferous · disordered · frenzied
din
Sustained unpleasant noise
pandemonium · bedlam · tumult · hullabaloo · commotion · babel · clangor · clatter · blare · roar
grating
Crossed bars or harsh
- stridentHarsh and piercing
- piercingPenetrating or very sharp
- screechingMaking harsh high sounds
rasping · squealing · shrill · scratchy · earsplitting · abrasive · grinding · scraping · metallic · tinny
dissonant
Lacking harmonic agreement
- inharmoniousLacking pleasing agreement
- jarringDisturbingly incongruous
- clashingStriking with discord
atonal · off-key · tuneless · unmelodious · disharmonic · dissonance · discordance · disharmony · out-of-tune · unresolved
raucous
Loud and disorderly
- rowdyNoisily disorderly
- boisterousNoisily cheerful and energetic
- riotousMarked by unrestrained disorder
clamorous · tumultuous · uproarious · frenetic · unruly · wild · vociferous · disordered · frenzied · anarchic
cacophonousharmonious
Pleasingly in accord
melodious · euphonious · mellifluous · dulcet · melodic