Definition
Lacking awareness of or sensitivity to the feelings, attitudes, or emotional context of a situation; insensitive or ill-timed in a way that shows poor social awareness. Originally from the musical term for inability to recognize pitch, now metaphorical.
Example Usage
Posting about luxury vacations while your employees are facing layoffs seems tone deaf.
Origin
Originally a musical term (early 20th century) referring to inability to hear pitch differences; metaphorical social use emerged in the 1990s-2000s.
Fun Fact
The term has become especially common in corporate communications, where brand tone-deafness is frequently called out on social media.
Source: Definition backfill (hailey)
Related Terms
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See “tone deaf” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.
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