tone-deaf

American  

[tohn-def] / ˈtoʊnˌdɛf /

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.

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tone-deaf British  

adjective

1. unable to distinguish subtle differences in musical pitch

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Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

• tone deafness noun

Etymology

Origin of tone-deaf

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

“To depict anything where we are running out of liquid is maybe a little tone-deaf this year,” Shawna Dawson Beer, the author of a community blog about Altadena, told Fox 11.

From Los Angeles Times

"Overnight they became our offices, sanctuaries and emotional anchors," he says, adding that against this backdrop, pushing the Colour of the Year towards "further visual emptiness feels rather tone-deaf".

From BBC

Sydney Sweeney is addressing the backlash over her appearance in American Eagle’s latest jeans campaign, following criticism that some viewed the ad as tone-deaf.

From Salon

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

From Salon

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.

From Salon