hard of hearing

American  

[hahrd-uhv-heer-ing] / ˈhɑrd əvˈhɪər ɪŋ /

Or hard-of-hearing

adjective

1. having reduced or deficient hearing ability; having mild, moderate, or severe hearing loss.

   We provide amplified phones for those who are hard of hearing so that they can communicate with friends and family.

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noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. people who have reduced or deficient hearing ability.

   Besides being an aid for the hard of hearing, subtitles improve comprehension for viewers learning a different language.

hard of hearing British  

adjective

1. 1. deaf or partly deaf

   2. ( as collective noun; preceded by the )

      the hard of hearing

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hard of hearing Idioms  

1. Somewhat deaf, having a partial loss of hearing. For example, You'll have to speak distinctly; Dad's a little hard of hearing. The use of hard in the sense of “difficulty in doing something” survives only in this expression. [Mid-1500s]

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Etymology

Origin of hard of hearing

First recorded in 1555–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hard of hearing

Finally, my grandmother was hard of hearing and resisted wearing hearing aids regularly.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025

Speech-to-text programs are becoming more popular for everyday tasks like hands-free dictation, helping people who are visually impaired, and transcribing speech for those who are hard of hearing.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 21, 2024

Mr Osei also criticised Ms Pokua for saying that Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II, who is in his 70s, was hard of hearing.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2024

She’s a student at Chileshe Chepela Special School in Kasama, in northern Zambia, where many students are deaf or hard of hearing.

From Seattle Times ● May 15, 2024

Last night I tried telling this to Johnny, who seems to be hard of hearing.

From "Bronx Masquerade" by Nikki Grimes