deaf

adjective

ˈdef 

 dialectal  ˈdēf

1

: having total or partial hearing loss

deaf people

the deaf community

also : of or relating to people who have total or partial hearing loss

deaf culture

deaf education

2

: unwilling to hear or listen : not to be persuaded

… when men are determined on mutiny, they are deaf to reason.

—Washington Irving

deafish

ˈde-fish 

adjective

deafly adverb

deafness noun

Examples of deaf in a Sentence

He has been deaf since birth.

She's completely deaf in her right ear.

He's going a little deaf so you'll have to speak up.

Recent Examples on the Web

Many residents reacted angrily when L.A. County officials called for volunteers in March to help with rebuilding the park, saying that the decision was tone deaf in the face of fire survivors’ trauma and unsafe given the toxicity of the debris. —Liam Dillon, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2025

Fine arts Artist of the Year Helen Zhang discussed how the imagery in her paintings explores themes of resilience and vulnerability, inspired in part by her experience of being deaf in one ear. —Staff Report, Oc Register, 8 May 2025

Her sister Reina Solis, who is deaf and uses ASL, said in Murder Has Two Faces through an interpreter that Evelyn learned sign language to communicate with her. —Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025

The app was inspired by Dimitri Kanevsky, a research scientist at Google who has been deaf since early childhood, and it was developed with feedback from Gallaudet University. —Simon Hill, Wired News, 6 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English deef, from Old English dēaf; akin to Greek typhlos blind, typhein to smoke, Latin fumus smoke — more at fume

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing deaf

• as deaf as a post
• deaf-aid
• deaf-mute
• fall on deaf ears
• go deaf
• stone-deaf
• struck deaf/blind
• the deaf
• tone-deaf
• turn a deaf ear

Rhymes for deaf

• chef
• clef
• ref

Kids Definition

deaf

adjective

ˈdef 

1

: wholly or partly unable to hear

2

: unwilling to hear or listen

deaf to all suggestions

deafness noun

Medical Definition

deaf

adjective

ˈdef 

: having total or partial hearing loss

deaf adults

also : of or relating to people who have total or partial hearing loss

deaf education

deafness noun