A deaf person.
"The interpreter signed to the deaf person who had arrived early from out of town."
lacking or deprived of the sense of hearing wholly or in part
"After years of exposure to loud machinery, he began losing his ability to hear high-pitched sounds."
(usually followed by `to') unwilling or refusing to pay heed
"deaf to her warnings"
Unable to hear, or only partially able to hear.
"The museum exhibition highlighted artifacts from Deaf culture, showcasing art created by signed language users throughout history."
Of or relating to the culture surrounding deaf users of sign languages.
In plain English: Deaf means unable to hear any sound at all, either partially or completely.
"The deaf man could not hear his name being called across the street."
Usage: Use this adjective to describe someone who cannot hear at all or has significant hearing loss rather than temporary inability to hear due to loud noise. It is often paired with "mute," though the two terms are distinct because deafness refers specifically to a lack of auditory ability while muteness concerns speech production.
The word "deaf" comes from Old English dēaf, which traces back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to whisk, smoke, darken, or obscure." While the original sense involved obscuring vision rather than hearing, the term eventually came into modern usage specifically for loss of auditory ability.