Definition

1. Verb:
   • To turn one's face away: To physically rotate one's head and face in a different direction, often to avoid looking at someone or something.
   • To ignore, to snub, to turn one's back on: To deliberately refuse to acknowledge, pay attention to, or engage with someone, typically as a sign of anger, disdain, or rejection.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Cô ấy buồn bã ngoảnh mặt đi. (She sadly turned her face away.)
  • Anh ta tức giận và ngoảnh mặt làm ngơ. (He was angry and turned away, pretending not to see.)
  • Đừng ngoảnh mặt với sự thật. (Don't turn your face away from the truth.)

Advanced Usage

• "ngoảnh mặt làm ngơ": This is a very common and fixed four-word idiom. It means "to deliberately ignore," "to turn a blind eye," or "to pretend not to see/hear/know." It implies a conscious act of rejection or indifference.
  • Trước những lời kêu gọi giúp đỡ, anh ấy đã ngoảnh mặt làm ngơ. (In the face of calls for help, he turned away and pretended not to notice.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ngoảnh (verb): To turn (one's head/body). This is the root verb. "Ngoảnh mặt" specifies turning the .
• Quay mặt (verb phrase): A more neutral synonym for "to turn one's face." It can be used in similar contexts but may carry less emotional weight than "ngoảnh mặt."
• Làm ngơ (verb phrase): To pretend not to see/know; to ignore. Often paired with "ngoảnh mặt."

Synonyms

• Lờ đi: To ignore, to disregard.
• Phớt lờ: To disregard, to pay no heed to.
• Quay lưng: To turn one's back on (often implies abandonment).

Related Idioms

• Ngoảnh mặt làm ngơ: As explained above, this is the primary and most significant idiom for this word. It is used as a complete unit to describe the act of deliberate, dismissive ignoring.

1. Turn away
   • Ngoảnh mặt làm ngơ
     To turn a deaf ear to