abgewandt

Abgewandt is a German adjective and past participle formed from the verb abwenden, meaning to avert or turn away. It describes something that has been turned away from a reference point or oriented away from the viewer or source of attention. The term is used in various contexts, including visual arts, literature, and everyday language.

In art and photography, abgewandt describes a subject whose face or body is directed away from the camera or audience. In descriptive prose, one might speak of a abgewandter Blick or einer abgewandten Haltung to convey detachment or distance. Figurative use refers to attitudes, such as a abgewandte Haltung, indicating a withdrawn or reserved stance.

Grammatically, abgewandt functions as a participial adjective and inflects like other adjectives. Typical forms include abgewandt, abgewandte, abgewandten, depending on gender, number, and case, e.g., der abgewandte Blick, einen abgewandten Blick, dem abgewandten Blick. It can also be used predicatively: Der Blick ist abgewandt. With prepositions, one can say abgewandt von der Szene or abgewandt zum Rand des Bildes, depending on the context.

Synonyms or near equivalents include abgewendet, though abgewandt is the more common term to emphasize orientation away from something. Antonyms depend on context and may include gewandt or zugewandt, indicating turning toward or facing something.

In sum, abgewandt denotes turned-away orientation, applied to hands, faces, gazes, and attitudes, and is a standard descriptive tool in German for conveying distance, detachment, or redirect-ness in both concrete and figurative senses.