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Glite Dictionary
to unfocus

to unfocus

1 7.4
To make your eyes or attention less clear
  • verb
  • /ʌnˈfoʊkəs/
translation icon : desenfocar
  • If the conscious attention is allowed to unfocus, so that only monitoring is going on, almost instantaneous images can be obtained of visual and sometimes auditory or tactile stimuli.

Examples

  • To avoid eye strain, you can momentarily unfocus your eyes and take a break from screen time.

  • When you've felt overwhelmed or unfocused, or if you feel like you've temporarily lost your focus, what do you do?

  • Just unfocus your eyes.

    Father's Day (2011)

  • They get to fucking, their dicks get wet, they get glisteny and shit, and it's hard for my eyes to unfocus off it.

    Pawn Shop Chronicles (2013)

  • This openness to "no matter what" allows the listener to unfocus her attention and "hear through" the piece, accepting as equally proper any sound and even the environmental or unintentional noises that occur during the performance.

    Academic text (1997)

  • She tried to unfocus her mind from her worries by meditating in a quiet room.

  • When studying for long hours, it's helpful to unfocus briefly to refresh your concentration.

Synonyms

to distract
vsto unfocus
513 2.1

To make someone stop paying attention to what they are doing or thinking about

describes attention or sight becoming less clear rather than being pulled away
to take one's eyes off
vsto unfocus
66 4.1

To stop looking at someone or something

can mean a general loss of clarity in attention or sight
to blur
vsto unfocus
20 3.7

To lose focus so that things look unclear

also applies to attention becoming less sharp as well as sight
to take your eye off the ball
vsto unfocus
  • Informal
7 6.5

Stop paying attention to what is important

describes general blurring of attention or sight, not only task errors
to unfix
vsto unfocus
8.2

Stop looking at something you were watching

reduces clarity of sight or attention rather than only ending it

How Blurry

to unfocus
1 7.4
to obscure
86 7.0
to soften
55 1.3

Surface Forms

unfocus infinitive
unfocused past
unfocused past participle
unfocusing present participle
unfocuses third person singular

Morphology

unfocus = focus (transparent) = un + focus

The word is transparently formed by adding the prefix 'un-' to 'focus', indicating the reversal of the action.

Etymology

Unfocus is formed from un- meaning 'not' and focus meaning 'the sharp center' or 'to pay attention'. So, to unfocus is to take away that sharp center, like making a photo blurry or letting your attention wander, which is why it means to make vision or attention less clear or sharp.