cacophony
/kəˈkɒf(ə)ni
/noun (plural cacophonies)
A harsh discordant mixture of sounds: a cacophony of deafening alarm bells...
- The woods became alive with sound, a great cacophony of noises rising as the two beings fought.
- Whereas before, it was a discordant cacophony of voices, now there is a clear message being communicated by one side to the other.
- Birds form a group and create a cacophony of sound to ward off the attacks.
Synonyms
din, racket, noise, discord, dissonance, discordance, caterwauling, raucousness, screeching, jarring, stridency, grating, rasping
Origin
Mid 17th century: from French cacophonie, from Greek kakophōnia, from kakophōnos 'ill-sounding', from kakos 'bad' + phōnē 'sound'.
The word cacophony, meaning ‘a harsh discordant combination of sounds’, came via French from Greek kakophonia. Kakos was Greek for ‘bad’, and phōnē meant ‘sound’—it is the root of words like euphonious (see euphemism), symphony (Middle English) ‘harmonious sound’, and telephone (see telegraph).