Muted vs. Deafened

If you walk outside on a snowy night, and there are no sounds around, would you describe it as muted or deafened?

Well, what do they mean? One who is mute cannot produce sound. One who is deaf cannot hear sound. The simple answer is that you should describe it as mute because there is no particular sounds being heard, and the person is capable of hearing.

But in thinking about the question, I find it interesting that both words encompass the idea of no sound, but for totally different reasons. It's one of those examples of a single symptom resulting from one of several possible causes.