喧嘈 is a literary, compound adjective meaning 'boisterous and clamorous' — describing an environment filled with loud, chaotic, overlapping noise. Both characters contribute to the meaning: 喧 (xuān) conveys loudness and commotion, often associated with human voices or crowds; 嘈 (cáo) emphasizes jumbled, incessant sound — like chatter, shouting, or general hubbub. Together, they intensify the sense of overwhelming auditory chaos, stronger than either character alone.

This word appears most often in descriptive writing — poetry, essays, or narrative prose — to evoke bustling city streets, crowded markets, or unruly gatherings. It carries a slightly negative or weary connotation, suggesting discomfort or sensory overload rather than cheerful liveliness. While grammatically an adjective, it typically modifies nouns directly (e.g., 喧嘈的街道) or functions predicatively (e.g., 街道十分喧嘈). It is rarely used in casual speech, where simpler terms like 吵 or 闹 are preferred.