tone-deaf

[tohn-def]

adjective

1. unable to distinguish differences in pitch in musical sounds when producing or hearing them.

2. unable to perceive public sentiment, attitudes, or preferences.

   The council’s politically tone-deaf plan would cost lower income residents $100 a year.

3. lacking emotional insight; insensitive or unsympathetic to others.

   She is often tone-deaf to her daughter’s needs.

tone-deaf

adjective

1. unable to distinguish subtle differences in musical pitch

Other Word Forms

• tone deafness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tone-deaf¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

The Senate’s self-serving maneuver is not only tone-deaf, it’s a betrayal.

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In the wake of that immense crime, this distraction rates as a tone-deaf misdemeanor.

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Much as there is for its fans to mourn about the alleged closure of the “Downton Abbey” franchise, I won’t miss the increasingly tone-deaf genuflection before the glamour of British privilege.

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Mr. Zipperstein faults Blake Bailey’s nearly 900-page authorized biography as “curiously tone-deaf to the writing at the epicenter of Roth’s life” and proceeds to tune our ears back to that center.

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Republicans have flooded the airwaves with ads attacking Spanberger on the issue, featuring Spanberger urging supporters to “let your rage fuel you,” framing the Democrat as tone-deaf to the threat of political violence.

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When To Use

What does tone-deaf mean?

Tone-deaf is used literally in the context of music to describe a person who is unable to distinguish between different pitches in tone or sound, as in I’m tone-deaf, so I have trouble singing the right notes.  Tone-deaf is commonly used in a (sometimes playfully) critical way to describe a bad or inexperienced singer, whether or not they are actually unable to distinguish differences in sound.Tone-deaf is also used figuratively to describe a person who ignores or seems to be oblivious to public sentiment or preferences, especially when they do something that offends or upsets a large number of people. It’s also commonly used to describe the actions or words of such people, as in After months of resident complaints about noise violations in the neighborhood, the planning commission’s vote to allow a new nightclub to be built seemed completely tone-deaf. Tone-deaf is especially applied in cases in which a person is insensitive or uncaring about the emotions or hardships of other people, as in The athlete apologized for his insensitive, tone-deaf comments about fans from impoverished neighborhoods. The noun form of tone-deaf is tone deafness (note that it isn’t usually spelled with a hyphen), as in The movie was universally panned due to its tone deafness in depictions of the war.