cacophony

From French cacophonie, from Ancient Greek κακοφωνία (kakophōnía), from κακός (kakós, “bad”) + φωνή (phōnḗ, “sound”).

• (UK) IPA^(key): /kəˈkɒfəni/

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cacophony (countable and uncountable, plural cacophonies)

1. A mix of discordant sounds; dissonance.
   • 1921-1922, H. P. Lovecraft, Herbert West: Reanimator,

     Not more unutterable could have been the chaos of hellish sound if the pit itself had opened to release the agony of the damned, for in one inconceivable cacophony was centered all the supernal terror and unnatural despair of animate nature.

• euphony
• harmony

• cacophonic
• cacophonous

• cacophonous
• dissonance
• harmony