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Moral justification is a powerful disengagement mechanism. Destructive conduct is made personally and socially acceptable by portraying it in the service of moral ends. This is why most appeals against violent means usually fall on deaf ears.
Albert Bandura

Meaning of "deaf" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD DEAF

Old English dēaf; related to Old Norse daufr.
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Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF DEAF

deaf  [dɛf] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF DEAF

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Deaf is an adjective.
The adjective is the word that accompanies the noun to determine or qualify it.

WHAT DOES DEAF MEAN IN ENGLISH?

deaf

Hearing loss

Hearing loss, hearing impairment, or deafness, is a partial or total inability to hear. In children it may affect the development of language and can cause work related difficulties for adults. It is caused by many factors, including: genetics, aging, exposure to noise, illness, chemicals and physical trauma. Hearing testing may be used to determine the severity of the hearing loss. While the results are expressed in decibels, hearing loss is usually described as mild, mild-moderate, moderate, moderately severe, severe, or profound. Hearing loss is usually acquired by a person who at some point in life had no hearing impairment. There are a number of measures that can prevent hearing loss and include avoidance of loud noise, chemical agents, and physical trauma. Testing for poor hearing is recommended for all newborns. But, in some cases such as due to disease, illness, or genetics, it is impossible to reverse or prevent. Hearing aids are partially effective for many. Globally hearing loss affects about 10% of the population to some degree. It caused moderate to severe disability in 124 million people as of 2004.

Definition of deaf in the English dictionary

The definition of deaf in the dictionary is partially or totally unable to hear. Other definition of deaf is refusing to heed.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE DEAF

deadpanner
deadstock
deadweight
deadwood
deaerate
deaeration
deaerator
deaf aid
deaf without speech
deaf-and-dumb
deaf-mute
deaf-muteness
deaf-mutism
deafblind
deafen
deafening
deafeningly
deafish
deafly
deafness

WORDS THAT END LIKE DEAF

bay leaf
broadleaf
cloverleaf
drop-leaf
flyleaf
gold leaf
in leaf
leaf
loose-leaf
Maple Leaf
oak leaf
overleaf
sheaf
tea leaf
the Maple Leaf
tobacco leaf
tone-deaf
turn over a new leaf
vine leaf
waterleaf

Synonyms and antonyms of deaf in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «DEAF»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «deaf» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of deaf

Translation of «deaf» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF DEAF

Find out the translation of deaf to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of deaf from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «deaf» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

耳聋的
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

sordo
570 millions of speakers

English

deaf
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

बहरा
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

أَصَمّ
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

глухой
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

surdo
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

বধির
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

sourd
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Pekak
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

taub
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

耳の聞こえない
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

귀가 들리지 않는
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Budheg
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

điếc
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

செவிடு
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

बहिरा
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

SAĞIR
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

sordo
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

głuchy
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

глухий
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

surd
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

κουφός
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

dowe
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

döv
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

døv
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of deaf

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «DEAF»

The term «deaf» is very widely used and occupies the 15.615 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Very widely used
93
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «deaf» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of deaf
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «deaf».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «DEAF» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «deaf» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «deaf» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about deaf

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «DEAF»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word deaf.
1
Albert Bandura
Moral justification is a powerful disengagement mechanism. Destructive conduct is made personally and socially acceptable by portraying it in the service of moral ends. This is why most appeals against violent means usually fall on deaf ears.
2
Bonnie Bassler
We've all been sick; we're all afraid of infection. I think the easiest application to help people understand what quorum sensing is and why it's important to study is to tell them that if we could make the bacteria either deaf or mute, we could create new antibiotics.
3
Bonnie Bassler
I think the easiest application to help people understand what quorum sensing is and why it's important to study is to tell them that if we could make the bacteria either deaf or mute, we could create new antibiotics.
4
Stephanie Beacham
I can not remember even thinking that I was deaf when I was dancing.
5
Stephanie Beacham
I took some classes in sign language when I was in my early teens because I was told that I would be completely deaf very early. But I never really wanted to learn.
6
E. F. Benson
Taste is one of the five senses, and the man who tells us with priggish pride that he does not care what he eats is merely boasting of his sad deficiency: he might as well be proud of being deaf or blind, or, owing to a perpetual cold in the head, of being devoid of the sense of smell.
7
Sean Berdy
There are two worlds: the deaf world and the hearing world. There are some people in the deaf community that feel that hearing people look down on us.
8
Sean Berdy
I was born deaf. I was raised in a hearing world and in a deaf world at the same time. I can't say that I like one better than I like the other. I like them both. I speak pretty well; I gesture. If I don't understand something, you know, pen and paper, texting. I use it all.
9
Sean Berdy
Deaf people are struggling to find their favorite show or something that represents them. It's hard. There are some examples of shows that have a deaf storyline in one episode, like Cold Case, or another show where they are focusing on the cochlear implant or the medical aspect.
10
Sean Berdy
The deaf community is nearly never portrayed accurately on television/film because most writers never took the time to immerse themselves in the deaf culture before portraying it on television. They also never got to know their deaf actors.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «DEAF»

Discover the use of deaf in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to deaf and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Deaf Like Me
The parents of a child born without hearing describe their efforts to reach across the barrier of silence to teach their daughter to speak and enjoy a normal life
Thomas S. Spradley, James P. Spradley, 1985
2
Understanding Deaf Culture: In Search of Deafhood
This text presents a Traveller's Guide to deaf culture, starting from the premise that deaf cultures have an important contribution to make to other academic disciplines, and human lives in general.
Paddy Ladd, 2003
3
Deaf History Unveiled: Interpretations from the New Scholarship
The sixteen essays featured in Deaf History Unveiled include the work of Harlan Lane, Renate Fischer, Margret A. Winzer, William McCagg, and twelve other noted historians who presented their research at the First International Conference on ...
John V. Van Cleve, 1999
4
Inside Deaf Culture
"Inside Deaf Culture relates deaf people's search for a voice of their own, and their proud self-discovery and self-description as a flourishing culture.
Carol PADDEN, Tom Humphries, Carol Padden, 2009
5
Cultural and Language Diversity and the Deaf Experience
This book considers in depth the notion that deaf people are members of a bilingual-bicultural minority group, whose experiences often overlap with the experiences of hearing minority group members but at other times are unique.
Ila Parasnis, 1998
6
DEAF IN AMERICA
Written by authors who are themselves Deaf, this unique book illuminates the life and culture of Deaf people from the inside, through their everyday talk, their shared myths, their art and performances, and the lessons they teach one ...
Carol A. Padden, Tom Humphries, 1990
7
Deaf Empowerment: Emergence, Struggle, and Rhetoric
Examines the social movements of the deaf in America from the middle of the nineteenth century to the present, and discusses how advocates for the deaf adopted methods from other social revolutions to accomplish their goals.
Katherine A. Jankowski, 1997
8
The Oxford Handbook of Deaf Studies, Language, and ...
In this updated edition of the landmark original volume, a range of international experts present a comprehensive overview of the field of deaf studies, language, and education.
Marc Marschark, Patricia Elizabeth Spencer, 2011
9
The Deaf Mute Howls
Albert Ballin's sharp observations in this remarkable book detail his experiences (and those of others) at a late 19th-century residential school for deaf students and his frustrations as an adult seeking acceptance in the majority hearing ...
Albert Ballin, 1930
10
Legal Rights: The Guide for Deaf and Hard of Hearing People
Legal Rights covers the entire spectrum of communication issues for deaf and hard of hearing people, from the new rules about interpreters in federal courts to the latest developments regarding relay services.
‎2000

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «DEAF»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term deaf is used in the context of the following news items.
1
German Attempts to Break Down Barriers for Deaf in N. Korea
In a country with zero kindergartens specifically for the deaf, Robert Grund wants to help establish the first — just a small suite of rooms for ... «ABC News, Jul 15»
2
Inspired by partially deaf son, mom designs awesome hearing-aids …
When Sarah Ivermee realized what a difference a hearing aid made in the life of her partially deaf son, Freddie, she set out to get other children ... «Today.com, Jul 15»
3
Deaf Leia Armitage, 4, hears parents sing happy birthday after ABI …
A four-year-old deaf girl has heard her overjoyed parents sing happy birthday to her for the first time after becoming one of the youngest ... «Daily Mail, Jul 15»
4
EL AL flight attendant surprises deaf passengers with service in sign …
Larisa Speyer uses sign language to offer 'VIP' service for deaf passengers traveling to sporting event; 'It seemed like I made their day.'. «Ynetnews, Jul 15»
5
Program gives deaf caregivers new opportunities
Deaf staffer Colleen Jordan signs, with Anna Marshalick, Mercy LIFE's director of education (left), and Molly Crumley, director of operations. «Philly.com, Jul 15»
6
Grandview School District pays $1 million settlement to deaf student
Carol Carrothers, State Coordinator of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services for the Washington Sensory Disability Services, testified she saw no ... «KIMA CBS 29, Jul 15»
7
Gene therapy restores hearing in deaf mice
In this form, less common than the recessive form, a single copy of the mutation causes children to gradually go deaf beginning around the age ... «Medical Xpress, Jul 15»
8
Four-year-old girl born deaf hears after pioneering surgery
Four-year-old gril, Leia Armitage who was born profoundly deaf is now able to hear after pioneering surgery. Obama: same-sex marriage ... «Daily Mail, Jul 15»
9
The Grateful Dead's Deaf Zone for 'Deafheads'
The Grateful Dead's "Fare Thee Well" concert in Chicago included a "Deaf Zone," where fans could follow sign interpreters who translated the ... «Wall Street Journal, Jul 15»
10
The Tribe pulls us into the world of deaf children—and then repels us
It takes place at a boarding school for deaf children, with all the roles played by deaf performers; the dialogue is entirely in Ukrainian sign ... «Chicago Reader, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Deaf [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/deaf>. Apr 2024 ».
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