hard of hearing

adjective

: relating to or having partial hearing loss

people who are hard of hearing

the deaf and hard of hearing community

… the task force … will ask the Nebraska Department of Education to hire a national consulting firm with expertise in the area of deaf and hard of hearing education to analyze Nebraska's system.

—Margaret Reist

Examples of hard of hearing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This allows people who are severely hard of hearing or deaf to understand speech.1 Cochlear implants use components inside and outside the body to stimulate hearing. —Kelly Burch Published, Verywell Health, 11 Dec. 2024

Subtitles and captions for videos and audio descriptions for complex visuals are essential for users who are hard of hearing, visually impaired or those who prefer reading to engage with content. —Beth Worthy, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024

Photograph: Molly Higgins Super Loud Vibrating Alarm Clock for $18 ($6 off) Amazon The Super Loud Vibrating Alarm Clock is the top pick for those who are hard of hearing in our guide to The Best Extreme Alarm Clocks. —Brenda Stolyar, WIRED, 9 Oct. 2024

The show runs until Aug. 10 with shows every Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m. Every Wednesday, the production also offers accessibility services for audience members who are blind/low vision or deaf/hard of hearing. —Kara King, Austin American-Statesman, 18 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1564, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

hard-of-hearing

adjective

ˌhärd-ə(v)-ˈhi(ə)r-iŋ

: relating to or having a faulty but functional sense of hearing

Medical Definition

hard of hearing

adjective

hard of hear·​ing

ˌhärd-ə(v)-ˈhi(ə)r-iŋ

: relating to or having partial hearing loss

adults who are hard of hearing

the deaf and hard of hearing community