Skip to main content
deafly

deafly

1 8.8
In a way that does not respond when people call
  • adverb
  • /ˈdɛfli/
: sordamente
  • Despite the alarming noises around him, he remained deafly unaware of the commotion.

Examples

  • Marie never understood how people could sail past large bouquets so deafly.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • He stood deafly beside the music, ignoring the vibrant beats that filled the room.

  • The audience listened deafly to the speech, completely unresponsive to the speaker's passion.

Antonyms

8 3.0

With care and strong focus on what you see or hear

How Unresponsive

deafly
1 8.8
blankly
14 3.1
attentively
8 3.0

Surface Forms

deafly positive

Morphology

deafly = deaf (transparent) = deaf + ly

The adverb is a straightforward derivation from the adjective 'deaf' with the productive adverbial suffix '-ly', so its meaning is directly predictable.

Etymology

The word deafly comes from the adjective deaf meaning 'unable to hear' and the adverb ending -ly, so it means doing something as if you cannot or will not hear, often to ignore someone.