What does averted mean?
'Averted' is the past tense and past participle of the verb 'avert', which has two closely related meanings in modern English. In its most common use, it means to prevent something undesirable — a war, a strike, an ecological catastrophe — from happening, usually through timely intervention: 'Negotiations averted a national rail strike.' In its older, more literal sense, it means to turn away, most often applied to the eyes or gaze: 'She averted her eyes during the disturbing footage.' The word derives from Latin avertere, formed from ab- ('away from') and vertere ('to turn'), and entered English in the early fifteenth century via French. It belongs to a family of 'turning' words including divert, convert, invert, and revert. 'Averted' is somewhat formal in tone, appearing frequently in news reporting, where phrases like 'averted a crisis' or 'averted disaster' signal that danger was real but was successfully deflected. Its opposite-of-avoidance nuance is subtle: to avert something implies active effort against an imminent threat rather than mere evasion.
verb (past tense and past participle of 'avert')Turned away, or prevented something undesirable from happening; the past form of the verb 'avert', meaning to ward off or deflect a threat, danger, or gaze.
- Prevented (something bad) from happening: 'The treaty averted war.'
- Turned away (one's eyes, face, or gaze): 'She averted her eyes from the scene.'
"Quick action by the crew averted a disaster at sea."
"Diplomats worked through the night, and their efforts averted a full-scale conflict."
"He averted his gaze when the accident victims were brought past."
One glance can be 'averted' and so can a catastrophe — English borrowed this word from Latin avertere, literally 'to turn away', making it one of the few verbs that works equally well for eyes and disasters.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of averted
'Averted' comes from the Latin avertere, meaning 'to turn away', a compound of ab- ('from, away') and vertere ('to turn'). The word passed into English through Old French in the early fifteenth century, initially carrying the literal sense of turning aside or away. Over time the figurative sense of preventing or warding off misfortune became dominant, though the physical sense survives in phrases like 'averted her gaze'. It shares its Latin root with a host of English words built on vertere, including convert, divert, invert, revert, and averse.
Related word forms
How averted is actually used
'Averted' carries a slightly formal register and is especially frequent in journalism and official reports about narrowly avoided crises. When used of eyes or gaze, it often connotes embarrassment, discomfort, or deliberate avoidance.
Easily confused with averted
'Adverted' means referred to or called attention to something, while 'averted' means turned away or prevented — they differ by only one letter but are nearly opposite in sense.