見合わせる

• 読み: みあわせる
• ローマ字: miawaseru
• 漢字の分解: 見 (ken/mi) — see, look; 合 (gō/awa) — match, join together
• 発音: /mi.a.wa.se.ɾɯ/

意味

To postpone; to suspend; to refrain from proceeding. Also: to exchange glances with another person.

A Group 2 (ichidan) verb with two distinct meanings. In the first sense (to postpone), it is used in official and business contexts when an action or event is suspended due to circumstances — e.g., flights being cancelled or a project being put on hold. The nuance is of actively choosing to hold off rather than simply forgetting. In the second sense (to exchange glances), it describes two people looking at each other simultaneously, often in surprise or wordless communication.

例文

1. 悪天候のため、イベントの開催を見合わせることになった。
2. 二人は驚いた顔を見合わせ、しばらく黙ったままだった。
3. 費用対効果が不明なため、新システムの導入を見合わせた。

使い方ガイド

場面: announcements, business decisions, nonverbal communication

トーン: neutral

起源と歴史

Compound of 見 (to see, to look) and 合わせる (to match, to put together). In the 'postpone' sense, the idea is of holding one action up against the other to check fit, then deciding to wait. In the 'exchange glances' sense, it literally means mutual looking.

文化的背景

時代: Modern

世代: Adults

社会的背景: All classes