deaf-and-dumb

American

[def-uhn-duhm] / ˈdɛf ənˈdʌm /

adjective

Offensive.

deaf-mute.

deaf-and-dumb British

adjective

unable to hear or speak

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

a deaf person without speech

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Sensitive Note

See dumb.

Usage

Using deaf-and-dumb to refer to people without speech is considered outdated and offensive, and should be avoided. The phrase profoundly deaf is a suitable alternative in many contexts

Etymology

Origin of deaf-and-dumb

1150–1200; Middle English def and doumb

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Twirl him! twirl him! blind and dumb Deaf and dumb, Twirl the cane so troublesome!

From The Poems of Schiller — Suppressed poems by Schiller, Friedrich

Twirl him! twirl him! blind and dumb, Deaf and dumb, Twirl the carle so troublesome!

From The Poems of Schiller — Suppressed poems by Schiller, Friedrich

Twirl him! twirl him! blind and dumb Deaf and dumb, Twirl the carle so troublesome!

From The Poems of Schiller — Suppressed poems by Schiller, Friedrich

Shadowy muffled shapes, they come Deaf and dumb, Bringing what? dry chaff and tares, or full-eared sheaves?

From The Poems of Emma Lazarus, Volume 1 by Lazarus, Emma

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023