deflecting blame

Meaning

1. 1phraseuncountable

   the act of avoiding responsibility for something by directing attention or criticism toward someone or something else

   Grammar: Used as a noun phrase. It is the -ing form of the verb 'deflect blame', so it can also be part of a verb phrase, e.g., 'He is deflecting blame.'

   Patterns

   • deflecting blame onto someone
   • deflecting blame from oneself
   • accuse someone of deflecting blame

   The manager's constant deflecting blame onto his team made him unpopular.

   She accused her colleague of deflecting blame instead of taking responsibility for the error.

   Deflecting blame is a common defense mechanism when people feel threatened.

Common combinations

deflecting blame onto someone

He kept deflecting blame onto his assistant, even though he was in charge.

deflecting blame from oneself

Her apology sounded like deflecting blame from herself rather than sincere regret.

accuse someone of deflecting blame

The opposition accused the minister of deflecting blame for the economic crisis.

a way of deflecting blame

Changing the subject is a common way of deflecting blame.

Synonyms and how they differ

passing the buck

An informal idiom meaning shifting responsibility to someone else; 'deflecting blame' is slightly more formal and focuses on avoiding criticism.

evading responsibility

Similar, but 'evading' suggests escaping something you should face, while 'deflecting' suggests redirecting it.

Opposites

Word family

deflect verb

to cause something to change direction, or to avoid dealing with something

deflection noun

the act of changing direction or avoiding something

Commonly confused: deflecting blame or reflecting blame?

Practice

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