tin ear

See more synonyms for tin ear on Thesaurus.com

noun

an insensitivity to melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic variety in music.
an insensitivity to subtlety or appropriateness in verbal expression: a tin ear for clear, precise prose.
cauliflower ear.

Origin of tin ear

First recorded in 1915–20

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for tin ear

Contemporary Examples of tin ear

While McCain was at his most gracious, it was his audience who had the tin-ear.
A Speech to Make the World Stop
Mark Katz
November 5, 2008