averted

American  

[uh-vur-tid] / əˈvɜr tɪd /

adjective

1. turned away or aside.

   The angle of the head, the averted eyes, and the position of the mouth all serve to give up our secrets because they so easily reveal our feelings.

2. warded off; prevented.

   An averted foreign-policy disaster is often invisible, so the officers responsible often miss out on professional recognition.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of avert.

Other Word Forms

• avertedly adverb
• unaverted adjective

Etymology

Origin of averted

avert ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

As with last spring’s trade war, the Barclays research team, headed up by Ajay Rajadhyaksha, believes the worst-case scenario is likely to be averted.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026

Det Supt Paul Greenwood, head of investigations for Counter Terrorism Policing North East, said he had never seen an attack so narrowly averted.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

That still might happen—but only because the U.S. narrowly averted disaster.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

While an environmental disaster from the jet fuel spillage was averted, the coastguard undertook a clean-up operation after discovering clumps of plastic pellets, or nurdles, in the sea and washed ashore.

From Barron's • Jan. 12, 2026

Tally averted her eyes from Shay’s beauty, trying to focus her thoughts.

From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld