CACOPHONY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does cacophony mean? 

• CACOPHONY (noun)
  The noun CACOPHONY has 2 senses:

1. a loud harsh or strident noise

2. loud confusing disagreeable sounds

  Familiarity information: CACOPHONY used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CACOPHONY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A loud harsh or strident noise

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

blare; blaring; cacophony; clamor; din

Hypernyms ("cacophony" is a kind of...):

noise (sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound))

Derivation:

cacophonic; cacophonous (having an unpleasant sound)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Loud confusing disagreeable sounds

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("cacophony" is a kind of...):

dissonance (disagreeable sounds)

Derivation:

cacophonic; cacophonous (having an unpleasant sound)

 Context examples 

For what may be the first time, NOAA and partner scientists eavesdropped on the deepest part of the world’s ocean and instead of finding a sea of silence, discovered a cacophony of sounds both natural and caused by humans.

(Seven miles deep, the ocean is still a noisy place, NOAA)