Learn English – Word (adjective) to describe a harsh sound

adjectivesamerican-englishsingle-word-requestssoundsword-choice

Context: My brother just played a video with loud screeching noises in the background about 5 feet from me as I was reading a pleasant book. I turned to chastise him, exclaiming,

"John! Turn that off! That sounds is so _______."

I couldn't find the proper word. Discordant, biting, harsh aren't quite right. Anyone have any suggestions?

Best Answer

It isn't an adjective, and it doesn't exactly fit into your example sentence, but what I immediately thought of was cacophony.

[Merriam-Webster]

1 : harsh or jarring sound : DISSONANCE sense 2
specifically : harshness in the sound of words or phrases

DISSONANCE sense 2:
2 : a mingling of sounds that strike the ear harshly : a mingling of discordant sounds
especially, music : a clashing or unresolved musical interval or chord

To paraphrase your sentence:

John! Turn off that cacophony!

As was mentioned in a comment, there is an adjectival form of this word:

John! Turn that off! That sound is so cacophonous.

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