The action of changing direction or turning something away from its course; also, avoiding a topic by changing the subject.
From deflect, which comes from Latin 'deflectere' (de- away + flectere to bend). The word originally described physical bending but extended to psychological avoidance.
In physics, deflection follows predictable laws—a ball curves predictably when hit at an angle—but emotional deflection (changing the subject when uncomfortable) is much harder to predict because humans deliberately hide their patterns.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.