Meaning & use
turning outward
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
Directing your attention, feelings, or activity away from yourself and toward other people or the outside world.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase after a verb or preposition: a turning outward of interest; often the subject or object of a sentence.
Patterns
- a turning outward of something
- a turning outward toward someone
Her later poems show a turning outward, from private grief to the lives of neighbors.
The company's turning outward to global markets saved it from decline.
Therapy encouraged a turning outward rather than constant self-examination.
phrasefixed phrase
Facing, pointing, or rotating toward the outside; opening away from the center.
Grammar: Describes a physical position or movement; often follows a noun it modifies: windows turning outward.
Patterns
- something turning outward
- turning outward from something
The old shutters were turning outward at the hinges after years of rain.
His feet were turning outward as he stood, a habit from ballet class.
The petals keep turning outward as the flower opens.
Common combinations
- a turning outward toward
- The essay describes a turning outward toward community after years of isolation.
- turning outward from
- The doors were turning outward from the frame, damaged by the wind.
- a turning outward of attention
- There was a turning outward of attention once the crisis affected everyone.
- gradual turning outward
- The novel traces a gradual turning outward from self-doubt to public action.
Synonyms and how they differ
- outward-looking
- An adjective describing a person or group focused on others; 'turning outward' is the process or event itself.
- extroversion
- A psychological trait of being energized by others; 'turning outward' can be a single act or shift, not a fixed personality.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: turning outward or outward bound?
turning outward vs outward bound
Means traveling away from home, especially by ship; it does not mean turning your attention outward.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'turning outward' most naturally?
Choose one answer.
'Turning outward to' introduces the direction or goal of the change. 'Outward of' and 'outward at' are not used this way, and 'for to' is not grammatical English.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “turning outward”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.