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:
Paxman, 52, says the money has been a godsend, especially after her husband Jon went deaf and lost his job as a music arranger.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
Early Saturday morning however, he was woken up by a video call from his elderly parents -- who are both deaf -- and rushed back to help.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
"Most arts organisations are committed to accessibility but there's a difference between access and showing work by deaf and disabled people," she said.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
There’s a lack of programs — we need more therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists and doctors who are versed in helping people who are deaf.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
It’s the same one I’ve asked him for years, but all I’m ever met with are deaf ears and sealed lips.
From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles
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
Apparently he was the deafest retainer that a peeress of the realm ever left in charge of a princely pile.
From The Card, a Story of Adventure in the Five Towns by Arnold Bennett
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
She was deaf as a post,—as said before— And as deaf as twenty similes more, Including the adder, that deafest of snakes, Which never hears the coil it makes.
From The Poetical Works of Thomas Hood by Thomas Hood
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.
