deaf

Universal Words adjective (deafer, deafest) 1 unable to hear anything or unable to hear very well: to become / go deaf * She was born deaf. * partially deaf seealsoSTONEDEAF, TONE-DEAF 2 (the deaf) noun [pl.] people who cannot hear: television subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing 3 [notbeforenoun] ~ to sth not willing to listen or pay attention to sth: He was deaf to my requests for help. deafness noun [U] IDIOMS (as) deaf as a post (informal) very deaf fall on deaf ears to be ignored or not noticed by other people: Her advice fell on deaf ears. turn a deaf ear (to sb/sth) to ignore or refuse to listen to sb/sth: He turned a deaf ear to the rumours.