Cacophonously

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. Distinguished by a jarring and discordant blend of noises
2. In a manner marked by harsh, grating, and unpleasant sounds
3. Expressed through an intensely loud and dissonant noise that irritates the ears

Etymology: "Cacophonously" is simply "cacophonous" with the adverbial ending "-ly" attached, so the adverb carries the same sense as its base: in a harsh, discordant manner. The base word is the one with the interesting story, built from two Greek elements that together describe a bad sound. The first element is "kakos," meaning bad or ill, and the second is "phōnē," meaning sound or voice, which also gives English words like telephone and phonetic. Joined, they formed the Greek "kakophōnia," a harsh or unpleasant sound, and English adopted the idea as "cacophony" with the same literal meaning. The adjective "cacophonous" came from that noun. The suffix "-ly" is the native English ending that turns an adjective into an adverb, describing how an action is done, so "cacophonously" tells you the sound or action was performed in a jarring way.

Synonyms: discordantly, jarringly, gratingly, harshly, dissonantly

Antonyms: melodiously, harmoniously, sweetly, pleasantly, soothingly