Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Incapacity of perceiving or distinguishing sounds, in consequence of the impairment of the organs of hearing; that state of the organs which prevents the reception of the impressions that constitute hearing; want of the sense of hearing.
- noun Unwillingness to hear; voluntary rejection of what is addressed to the ear or to the understanding.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun Incapacity of perceiving sounds; the state of the organs which prevents the impression which constitute hearing; want of the sense of hearing.
- noun Unwillingness to hear; voluntary rejection of what is addressed to the understanding.
- noun a variety of deafness dependent upon morbid change in some portion of the nervous system, especially the auditory nerve.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The
condition of beingdeaf ; thelack orloss of theability tohear . - noun figuratively Lack of knowledge or refusal to admit a particular problem, issue, etc.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun partial or complete loss of hearing
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Many late deafened adults suffer from something I term deafness paranoia.
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Often, people would offend other people "Are you deaf or something?" as if deafness is a bad thing.
You Probably Think This Word Is About You Roger Sutton 2009
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"Veda's deafness is smartly played, and Graham's depiction of the tailor shop's inner workings is instructive ... the redemptive ending will please fans of the genre."
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The entire medical establishment was aware of Limbaugh ` s deafness onset; however nobody seemed to grasp that instant deafness is a symptom of Oxencodeine abuse, although it is written in evry PDR.
So It Might Not Rain on His Parade? - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com 2009
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At last it can be said that the West, after decades of deafness, is slowly coming around to fight this scourge of economic crime that is the gangrene of development in Africa and that fattens black money in Europe and around the world.
Global Voices in English » Paris court investigates three African leaders 2009
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The cause of the deafness is unknown, but has been attributed to diseases such as syphilis, lead poisoning, or typhus.
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And an ignorant "deafness is a handicap" hearing perspective from Huffington Post writer, Michael Russnow, who thinks not giving someone a cochlear implant is "political correctness gone too far."
Deaf community abuzz with varied reviews of "Sweet Nothing in My Ear' BA Haller 2008
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Immediately, I wanted to find the person who wrote that, shake them up, tell them that deafness is not the end of the world.
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The couple believe that deafness is a cultural identity as well as a physical reality.
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Just over 5 percent of federal employees are disabled and less than 1 percent are people with targeted disabilities -- defined as deafness, blindness, mental retardation, dwarfism and paraplegia, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
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