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YOUR VOCABULARY, ONE WORD AT A TIME

Cacophony

Noun

IPA /kəˈkɒfəni/

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Meaning in plain English

A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds; an unpleasant or chaotic noise.

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Pronunciation

Cacophony/kəˈkɒfəni/

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  1. Horns and alarms

  2. Shouting and drilling

Together these clashing noises create a cacophony.

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  1. The cacophony of honking cars and shouting vendors filled the busy market street.
  2. Her thoughts were drowned out by the cacophony of a construction site just outside her window.

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The ________ of honking cars and shouting vendors filled the busy market street.
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Cacophony — A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds; an unpleasant or chaotic noise.

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A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds; an unpleasant or chaotic noise.

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Word origin

From Greek kakophōnia — kakos (“bad”) + phōnē (“voice” or “sound”) — literally “bad sound.”

Did you know?

Cacophony concerns a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds. Loudness alone does not make a sound a cacophony.

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Cacophony

/kəˈkɒfəni/ (Noun)

“Use cacophony for a harsh or jarring mixture of sounds, such as competing alarms and shouting.”

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