deaf
Americanadjective
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deafer,
comparative
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deafest
superlative
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partially or wholly lacking or deprived of the sense of hearing; unable to hear.
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refusing to listen, heed, or be persuaded; unreasonable or unyielding.
deaf to all advice.
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Deaf, of or relating to the Deaf or their cultural community.
Deaf customs and values.
noun
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Deaf persons collectively (usually preceded bythe ).
social services for the Deaf.
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Usually the Deaf Deaf persons who identify themselves as members of a community composed of Deaf persons and others who share in their culture.
adjective
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partially or totally unable to hear
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( as collective noun ; preceded by the ) See also tone-deaf
the deaf
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refusing to heed
deaf to the cries of the hungry
Pronunciation
Deaf is usually pronounced , with the vowel of left. In uneducated speech the dialectal pronunciation , to rhyme with leaf, is still heard occasionally, but it is increasingly rare.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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deafnessnoun
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nondeafnessnoun
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semideafnessnoun
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half-deafadjective
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nondeafadjective
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quasi-deafadjective
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semideafadjective
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undeafadjective
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deaflyadverb
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nondeaflyadverb
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quasi-deaflyadverb
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of deaf
First recorded before 900; Middle English deef, Old English dēaf; cognate with Middle Low German dōf, Dutch doof, Old High German toub
Explanation
If you're deaf, you can't hear or have extremely limited hearing abilities. Many people who are deaf communicate using sign language. Some people are born deaf, while others lose their hearing later in life because of illness or injury. People who have been deaf their whole lives and are actively involved with the deaf community consider deafness a "difference in experience," not a disability. When someone accuses you of being "deaf to" their argument, they mean that you are refusing to pay attention or listen. Until the 18th century, deaf was pronounced so it rhymed with beef.
Vocabulary lists containing deaf
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.
See Examples For:
You hope you don’t work this hard at a thing for it to fall on deaf ears, and I know how microwavable music has been, but I believe the cream rises to the top.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
They said new measures had been introduced to help deaf patients, including strengthening awareness and accessibility arrangements to ensure patients' communication needs were better met.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
On a recent afternoon, Terekh arrived with her 12-year-old deaf dog Chuck and her bodyguards at an upscale Kyiv real-estate development that she had helped design.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Their creative director, Jennifer Bates, describes it as "a significant moment" for the Scottish theatre landscape, integrating deaf and hearing cast and crew.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
It would be good if the white man could help him with Augustus Benedict Mady Lewis, the deaf patient.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
As it dawns on her how dangerous and unwieldy the company she wants to inherit actually is, Shiv no longer tries to make herself useful to her dad — and Logan’s ears turn deafer.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 22, 2021
“I’m getting more deafer and my wife is getting more louder,” he said with a laugh.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 24, 2017
This suggests a co-evolutionary struggle in which the mother’s body becomes deafer as the offspring becomes louder.
From Scientific American ● Dec. 27, 2011
He was aware of being able to see increasingly clearly, and as I've got deafer I've noticed that I'm using my eyes better.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 2, 2010
Old Gamgee did not look much older, but he was a little deafer.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
But even the deafest and most stay-at-home began to hear queer tales; and those whose business took them to the borders saw strange things.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
There are folks about town—to name no names— Who much resemble that deafest of Dames!
From The Poetical Works of Thomas Hood by Thomas Hood
When Solomon Flint returned home that night he found Miss Lillycrop seated beside old Mrs Flint, shouting into her deafest ear.
From Post Haste by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne
To a piteous plea to remain and enjoy the old man's wealth, he turned the deafest of ears.
From Trifles for the Christmas Holidays by H. S. Armstrong
Nay, not noiseless—for the deafest wight that ever strove to hear with his mouth wide open, might have sworn that he heard the sound of ten thousand hammers.
From Recreations of Christopher North, Volume I (of 2) by John Lyde Wilson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
