Literal meaning (referring to musical ability):
* The singer was so tone deaf that his performance was painful to listen to.
* Even though he loved music, he was completely tone deaf and couldn't carry a tune.
Figurative meaning (lacking sensitivity to social cues):
* The politician's comments were tone deaf and insensitive to the current economic crisis.
* Her joke was tone deaf considering the recent tragedy.
* The company's advertising campaign was tone deaf and did not resonate with its target audience.
More examples:
* Despite the somber mood, he made a tone deaf joke that fell flat.
* She's so tone deaf to my feelings that I'm starting to question our relationship.
* The company's response to the crisis was tone deaf and only made matters worse.