tone-deaf

English

Alternative forms

• tone deaf

Adjective

tone-deaf (comparative more tone-deaf, superlative most tone-deaf)

1. Unable to clearly distinguish the difference in pitch between different notes.

   Although he was tone-deaf, he was a great lyricist.

   This is a distinction unavailable to the tone-deaf.

2. (colloquial) Having little appreciation of music, whether or not as a result of tone deafness.
3. (colloquial, figurative) Out of touch with the experience of ordinary people.

   a politician's tone-deaf remarks about the price of bread

   The elected official's tone-deaf remarks about the operations of the clerk’s office were disappointing.

4. (colloquial, figurative) Insensitive and offensive as a result of not noticing the current social context.
   • 2023 May 24, Philip Galanes, “I Used a Slur for Accuracy When Repeating a Joke. Why Is Everyone Upset?”, in The New York Times‎^[1]:

     Otherwise, saying “N-word” is plenty accurate; I knew exactly what you meant. And arguing for your need to use an explosive term, when a common euphemism will do, makes you seem defensive and tone-deaf.

   • 2024 May 21, Arwa Mahdawi, “Sex-positive feminism had its moment – and now it has been replaced by voluntary celibacy”, in The Guardian‎^[2], →ISSN:

     The campaign – which Fast Company described as “eyebrow-raising”, “controversial” and “tone-deaf” – did not land well.

Derived terms

• tone-deafly
• tone-deafness

Translations

unable to distinguish differences in pitch

• Arabic: أَصَمّ لِلطَّبَقَات الصَوْتِيَّة (ʔaṣamm li-ṭ-ṭabaqāt aṣ-ṣawtiyya)
• Bulgarian: немузикален (nemuzikalen)
• Catalan: dur d'orella
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 音盲的 (yīnmáng de), 不能辨別音高的／不能辨别音高的 (bùnéng biànbié yīngāo de)

• Czech: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: klankendoof, toondoof (nl)
• Finnish: sävelkuuro
• French: qui n’a pas d’oreille
• German: ohne Gefühl für Tonhöhen, ohne musikalisches Gehör
• Hebrew: חירש לצלילים
• Hungarian: botfülű (hu)
• Indonesian: buta nada, tuli nada
• Italian: che non ha orecchio
• Japanese: 音痴 (ja) (おんち, onchi)
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
• Malay: pekak nada
• Norwegian: tonedøv
• Portuguese: amúsico
• Russian: не различа́ющий отте́нков зву́ка (ne različájuščij otténkov zvúka), немузыка́льный (ru) (nemuzykálʹnyj), медве́дь на у́хо наступи́л (ru) (medvédʹ na úxo nastupíl) (idiom: "a bear stepped on ear")
• Spanish: sin oído musical
• Swedish: tondöv (sv)
• Thai: ซึ่งแยกแยะเสียงสูงต่ำของดนตรีไม่ได้ (sêung yâek yáe sĭang sŏong dtàm kŏng dondtree mâi dâai)
• Vietnamese: không có khả năng phân biệt chính xác các nốt nhạc khác nhau

out of touch

• French: déconnecté (fr), hors-sol (fr)
• German: weltfremd (de), abgehoben (de), ohne Bezug, keinen Draht (haben)
• Spanish: desubicado (es)
• Swedish: tondöv (sv)

insensitive and offensive

• German: taktlos (de) (if impolite), unangebracht (de), geschmacklos (de) (crude)
• Spanish: insensible (es)
• Swedish: tondöv (sv)

See also

• amusia
• can't carry a tune in a bucket
• have Van Gogh's ear for music
• stone deaf
• tin ear