adj
deaf
dehf
adj
1
Unable, or only partly able, to hear.
"She has been deaf since birth."
"He wears hearing aids because he's partially deaf."
2
Refusing to listen to something; unwilling to be persuaded.
"The council remained deaf to residents' complaints about the noise."
How to Use Deaf
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishUnable to hear, or (figuratively) refusing to pay attention to something.
Common mistake
"Deaf" describes the person, not the sound — you're deaf to criticism, not the criticism is deaf.
Common pairings
deaf to complaints
profoundly deaf
deaf community
Word Forms
deafer comparative, deafed past tense, deafs plural, deafs singular, deafest superlative
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She has been _____ since birth.
Etymology
From Old English deaf, from a Proto-Germanic root related to Ancient Greek typhlos, "blind" — the same broad idea of a blocked sense.