1.
to avert one's eyes; to look away
To deliberately turn one's gaze away from something unpleasant, embarrassing, or difficult to face. Can be used both literally and figuratively.
思わず目をそむけた。
I involuntarily looked away.
事故の現場があまりにも悲惨で、目をそむけたくなった。
The accident scene was so terrible that I wanted to look away.
現実から目をそむけていては、問題は解決しない。
If you keep looking away from reality, the problem won't be solved.
目をそむける means to deliberately avert one's gaze, either literally or figuratively. Can also be written as 目を背ける with kanji.
TWO USES:
1. Literal: To physically look away from something unpleasant or shocking
2. Figurative: To avoid confronting a problem, truth, or responsibility
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 目をそむける: to look away
- ～から目をそむける: to avert one's eyes from ~
- 目をそむけたくなる: to want to look away
- 目をそむけたくなる光景: a sight that makes you want to look away
- 現実から目をそむける: to look away from reality
SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS:
- 目を逸らす: to look away (more neutral, less emphatic)
- 目をつぶる: to close one's eyes (to ignore, to overlook)
- 見て見ぬふりをする: to pretend not to see
REGISTER:
Used in both everyday speech and literary/journalistic writing. Common in news reporting about disasters, accidents, and social problems.