expression, noun
pretending not to see; turning a blind eye; looking the other way
A set phrase describing the act of deliberately ignoring something one has noticed, often out of convenience or to avoid involvement.
彼は困っている人を見て見ぬふりをした。
He pretended not to see the person in trouble.
不正を見て見ぬふりをするのはよくない。
It's not good to turn a blind eye to wrongdoing.
A shorter form with the same meaning; 見て見ぬふり emphasizes the act of seeing first and then ignoring.
Means 'pretending not to know'; 見て見ぬふり is specifically about ignoring something seen.
A compound of 見て (seeing) + 見ぬ (not seeing, classical negative of 見る) + ふり (pretending). Literally 'pretending to see and not see'.