Shut one's eyes to
Meaning
To deliberately ignore or refuse to acknowledge an unpleasant truth or reality.
Origin
From the earliest human experiences, the simple act of closing one's eyelids has offered a primal refuge from the unbearable, the frightening, or the simply unwanted. It's a natural, instinctive denial—a physical barricade against a confronting visual truth. By the 17th century in English usage, this ancient, literal reflex had found its metaphorical counterpart. The phrase 'shut one's eyes to' emerged to describe the deliberate, conscious refusal to acknowledge an unpleasant reality, extending the physical act of sight-blocking to the realm of understanding and acceptance. It speaks to a profound human tendency to create a mental darkness rather than confront an uncomfortable light, choosing willful ignorance over difficult truth.
Examples
- The manager chose to shut his eyes to the growing dissent among his team, hoping it would simply disappear.
- Despite mounting evidence, many people continued to shut their eyes to the environmental crisis.