ear rape

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Sense 1

Meaning · English

Highly unpleasant or cacophonous sounds or music.

Register: derogatory, offensive, slang

Where it’s used: Used American English
Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

An act of deliberately increasing the volume of the audio of music, often for humorous effect.

Register: humorous, offensive, slang

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Meaning · English

An instance of a highly unpleasant audio or song.

Register: derogatory, slang

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “ear rape” mean?

Highly unpleasant or cacophonous sounds or music.

Is “ear rape” formal or informal?

ear rape is generally derogatory, offensive, slang.