tone-deaf

[tohn-def] /ˈtoʊnˌdɛf/

adjective

unable to distinguish differences in pitch in musical sounds when producing or hearing them.

Origin

1890-95

Related forms

tone deafness, noun

Examples from the web for tone-deaf

Yet attempts to encourage originality have been tone-deaf.
College presidents seem tone-deaf to those concerns.
But its haunting chords and rhythms do not conquer tone-deaf bureaucracies.
It is rather as though, over an immense range of intellectual experience, a whole group was tone-deaf.
He's brilliant and funny, but he's also hostile and culturally tone-deaf.
His impish humor and tone-deaf faux pas supply plenty of material that could be spun into gold with the proper editing software.
Her charm was more often perceived as abrasive, her diplomacy tone-deaf.
The controversy has been cast by many as an instance of a tone-deaf agency not keeping up with the times.

British Dictionary definitions for tone-deaf

adjective

unable to distinguish subtle differences in musical pitch

Derived Forms

tone deafness, noun