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Glite Dictionary
deaf-and-dumb

deaf-and-dumb

1 9.9
An offensive old word for a person who cannot hear or speak
  • adjective
  • /dɛf ənd dʌm/
  • Slur
translation icon : [DESPECTIVO] sordomudo
  • Making deaf and dumb signs, that's what he's doing.

Examples

  • In the past, people referred to individuals who could not hear or speak as deaf-and-dumb, a term now considered offensive.

  • And the one that's deaf and dumb...

    The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993)

  • The teacher showed patience when communicating with the deaf-and-dumb student using sign language.

  • The charity focuses on improving the lives of deaf-and-dumb individuals by providing better access to education.

Antonyms

hearing
1.0

Able to notice sounds

Surface Forms

deaf-and-dumb positive

Morphology

deaf-and-dumb = deaf + dumb (semi-transparent) = deaf + dumb

The compound literally combines 'deaf' and 'dumb', but the modern sense of 'dumb' as 'stupid' and the phrase's dated/offensive status can mislead learners.

Etymology

The word deaf-and-dumb combines deaf ('unable to hear') and dumb ('unable to speak'), and long ago dumb simply meant 'silent'. It was used to describe people who could not hear or speak, but today this phrase is dated and offensive, so use 'deaf' or 'mute' instead.