deafness

American  

[def-nis] / ˈdɛf nɪs /

noun

1. the condition of being deaf; inability to hear.

2. unwillingness to listen.

---

deafness Scientific  

/ dĕf′nĭs /

1. The lack or severe impairment of the ability to hear. Deafness is usually genetic or congenital as a result of prenatal viral infection, birth trauma, or other causes. Acquired deafness is caused mostly by drug toxicity, trauma, and certain diseases. Cochlear implants are used to treat some forms of deafness.

---

Other Word Forms

• near-deafness
  noun

Example Sentences

The children were thriving, learning American Sign Language and unbothered by their deafness.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

Burrows said the school taught their students to be "proud of their deafness" and emphasised the "solution is not always just - 'let's get a hearing aid'".

From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026

But amid blizzards, subzero winds, outrageous acts of state terror and every other despair lurking in The Big Dark, it’s a readily accessible, harmonious cul-de-sac in an era of rampant tone deafness.

From Salon • Feb. 7, 2026

"How many people carry variants in this gene and is there a susceptibility to deafness or age-dependent hearing loss?" she said.

From Science Daily • Oct. 25, 2025

The patients included those who suffered with epilepsy, mental illness, blindness, deafness, mental disabilities, and severe physical deformities.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti