earsplitting

[ eer-split-ing ]

adjective

1. ear-piercing:

   an earsplitting explosion.

Word History and Origins

Origin of earsplitting¹

First recorded in 1880–85; ear ¹ + splitting

Example Sentences

The source of the earsplitting disruption was the Hard Summer music festival held at Hollywood Park, adjacent to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

From Los Angeles Times

In Alexis Scheer’s “Breaking the Story,” which opened on Tuesday at Second Stage Theater, the initial bang is an earsplitting doozy: an explosion that throws a war journalist and her videographer to the ground.

From New York Times

In an earsplitting falsetto, Jesus reproaches his father, God, for having put him in this position.

From New York Times

The earsplitting roar of the quake that rang in his ears for days.

From Literature

Walker fondly recalls those glory seasons, when the Phillies made consecutive World Series trips in 2008 and 2009, and all the excitement, the earsplitting noise that made Citizens Bank Park the place to be.

From Washington Times

Related Words

• blaring
• deafening
• noisy
• piercing
• ringing
• shrill
• thunderous