Tone-deaf

Tone-deaf, as an adjective, describes an inability or reduced ability to perceive, distinguish, or reproduce musical pitches accurately. It can range from a mild difficulty to a complete lack of awareness of musical intervals or melodies. More broadly, "tone-deaf" signifies a lack of sensitivity or awareness of social, political, or emotional nuances. This can manifest as inappropriate remarks, actions, or policies that disregard the feelings or perspectives of others, demonstrating a failure to understand the context or impact of one's words or behavior. The term highlights a disconnect between an individual's actions and their consequence, revealing a disregard for prevailing sentiments or ethical considerations, akin to not hearing the social music.

Tone-deaf meaning with examples

• Despite his extensive training, the aspiring musician realized he was inherently tone-deaf, struggling to differentiate between even the most basic musical notes. This hindered his ability to play instruments or sing in tune, no matter how hard he practiced. He was sadly told his future was not in music.
• The politician's insensitive comments about the economic hardship faced by the working class were widely criticized as tone-deaf, demonstrating a complete lack of understanding of their struggles and daily realities and resulted in his disapproval in the upcoming election. His campaign manager was soon fired.
• The company's tone-deaf marketing campaign, featuring out-of-touch messaging, failed to resonate with the target audience, leading to negative feedback and a significant decline in sales and brand image, highlighting how important awareness is in advertisement.
• John, though generally kind, was often tone-deaf in conversations, frequently making jokes at inappropriate moments or interrupting people without realizing he had done so. He never could understand why his friends would get upset when they did.
• The city council's proposed policy, which would have disproportionately affected low-income residents, was labeled tone-deaf, as it disregarded the potential consequences and did not consider the social ramifications, resulting in public outcry and protest and causing the council to have to rework the bill.