Vocabulary in context
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Cacophony
An unpleasant, often loud mixture of sounds; a harsh, discordant noise.
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Imagine This
There was once a side-walk symphony that used a number of Coca-Cola cans filled with different levels of Coke and used them as musical instruments. Imagine how unpleasant the noise would be!
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Sounds Like
kuh-KOF-uh-nee
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Looks Like
Coca-phony → Coca-Cola Symphony
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Remember This
Cacophonous (adjective); cacophonously (adverb)
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Other Forms
cacophonousadjective
cacophonouslyadverb
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Connect With
dissonance, consonance, euphony; din; clamor; noise; discord
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Note
Cacophony is the opposite of consonance and harmony; consonance is a pleasant blending of sounds.
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Study Deeper
Examples
- The construction site outside my building created a constant cacophony of drilling and shouting.
- A cacophony of car horns filled the city streets during the parade.
Synonyms
dinclamoruproardiscordnoiseracket
Antonyms
harmonyconsonanceeuphony
Etymology
From Greek kakophonia, from kakos 'bad' + phone 'sound'.
Mnemonic
Mnemonic: CACO- (bad) + PHONY (sound; sounds like phone) = bad sound. Remember that cacophony literally means a bad sound.
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Lugubrious
adjectiveMournful or gloomy, often to an exaggerated or affected degree.
Inane
adjectiveLacking sense or meaning; silly, foolish, or pointless.
Flaccid
adjectiveSoft and limp; lacking firmness or tone; can describe muscles, tissues, or other things that are not firm; can also describe a lack of vigor or vitality in a metaphorical sense.
Similar Words
Related words and words with the same part of speech.
Consonance
nounHarmony or agreement; in music, a pleasing combination of notes sounded together.
Abasement
nounThe act or instance of humiliating or degrading someone; the state of being lowered in dignity or status.
Absurdity
nounThe quality or state of being wildly unreasonable, illogical, or ridiculous; something that is completely contrary to reason or common sense.
Accent
nounA distinctive way of pronouncing words; the act of emphasizing a syllable or word (as a verb, to accent means to emphasize).
Accolade
nounAn honor; a public expression of praise or an award.
Acrimony
nounBitterness of speech or manner; ill feeling
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