averted

Averted is the past tense and past participle of avert, a verb meaning to prevent something undesirable from happening or to turn away something physically or emotionally. When used transitively, avert takes a direct object (for example, a disaster, a crisis, or a risk). In passive constructions, one can say that a disaster was averted. The phrase avert one’s gaze describes turning the eyes away from something unpleasant or disturbing.

Etymology traces avert to Latin avert- “turned away,” via Old French avertir and related forms. The core sense in English has long centered on turning away or warding off something harmful, with the modern use emphasizing prevention and mitigation.

Usage and nuance: Avert is commonly used in formal or reporting language, as in “Efforts to improve safety averted a major incident.” It often implies that deliberate action helped prevent harm. It can also describe emotional or behavioral turning away, such as “averted a confrontation by leaving.” Averted is the corresponding adjective or participle form, as in “an averted outcome” or “the averted crisis.”

Averted vision: In astronomy and ophthalmology, “averted vision” refers to looking slightly away from a faint object to see it more clearly, leveraging the higher sensitivity of the peripheral retina’s rods. In broader medical or clinical language, the term can describe symptoms or outcomes that were prevented or mitigated.

See also: prevent, avoid, mitigation, safety, risk management, averted vision.