Deafie means: An informal, and potentially sensitive, term for a deaf person. Within the Deaf community it can carry an affectionate, in-group quality - a casual shorthand among people who share that experience.. It is generally derogatory or offensive; worth a quiet word about how it lands on the person being described. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
deafie
An informal, and potentially sensitive, term for a deaf person.
Definitions
An informal, and potentially sensitive, term for a deaf person. Within the Deaf community it can carry an affectionate, in-group quality — a casual shorthand among people who share that experience. Used by outsiders, though, it can land as dismissive or offensive. Context and relationship matter enormously with this one; it's a word that belongs to the community it describes.
She called herself a deafie with a laugh — it was clearly her word to use, not ours.
Deafie means: An informal, and potentially sensitive, term for a deaf person. Within the Deaf community it can carry an affectionate, in-group quality - a casual shorthand among people who share that experience.. It is generally derogatory or offensive; worth a quiet word about how it lands on the person being described. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
deafie means: An informal, and potentially sensitive, term for a deaf person. Within the Deaf community it can carry an affectionate, in-group quality - a casual shorthand among people who. Register: very informal, often derogatory or vulgar. Avoid in formal, business, academic, or polite writing. Even in casual speech the word can offend and is best left out of a learner's active vocabulary. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
Comments
(endearing, or, derogatory, slang) A deaf person.
Comments
For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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🗺️About Regional & Other slang
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.
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Other words near "deafie" (D)
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Related terms
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Semantically related
- deafo74%
(slang, derogatory) A deaf person.
- deaf74%
Of or relating to the community of deaf people.
- hearie71%
Slang used within Deaf and hard-of-hearing communities to refer to a hearing person — someone without hearing loss who communicates primarily through spoken language. The term is an informal, community-internal shorthand that can carry neutral, affectionate, or mildly othering connotations depending on context and speaker. It sits alongside similar terms like hearing person or oral, helping Deaf communities name the hearing world on their own terms.
- deaf aid65%
(UK, offensive) A person wearing a hearing aid.