eschew

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb eschew contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of eschew are avoid, elude, escape, evade, and shun. While all these words mean "to get away or keep away from something," eschew implies an avoiding or abstaining from as unwise or distasteful.

a playwright who eschews melodrama

Where would avoid be a reasonable alternative to eschew?

The meanings of avoid and eschew largely overlap; however, avoid stresses forethought and caution in keeping clear of danger or difficulty.

try to avoid past errors

When is elude a more appropriate choice than eschew?

The words elude and eschew are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, elude implies a slippery or baffling quality in the person or thing that escapes.

what she sees in him eludes me

When could escape be used to replace eschew?

While the synonyms escape and eschew are close in meaning, escape stresses the fact of getting away or being passed by not necessarily through effort or by conscious intent.

nothing escapes her sharp eyes

When is it sensible to use evade instead of eschew?

The words evade and eschew can be used in similar contexts, but evade implies adroitness, ingenuity, or lack of scruple in escaping or avoiding.

evaded the question by changing the subject

When would shun be a good substitute for eschew?

Although the words shun and eschew have much in common, shun often implies an avoiding as a matter of habitual practice or policy and may imply repugnance or abhorrence.

you have shunned your responsibilities

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of eschew The Means siblings therefore recommend eschewing refined sugar in favor of leafy greens, avoiding nicotine and alcohol, frequenting saunas and cold plunges, getting seven to eight hours of uninterrupted sleep a night, and cleansing your life of environmental toxins. Hannah Seo, The Atlantic, 10 June 2025 Amish communities descend from Anabaptist Christians who fled persecution in Europe and emphasize living simply, eschewing many modern technologies. Charles J. Russo, The Conversation, 5 June 2025 Other, much larger Hasidic movements eschew Zionism, but Neturei Karta is unique in consistently showing up to protest Israel and adopting the language and symbols of pro-Palestinian activism. Ben Sales, Sun Sentinel, 3 June 2025 In keeping with tradition, New Trier High School seniors eschewed graduation gowns and mortarboards in favor of white dresses for the girls and white jackets and black trousers for the boys at their June 1, 2025 graduation at NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates. Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for eschew
Recent Examples of Synonyms for eschew
Verb
  • The movie also acknowledges that there is a climate crisis, but tries to avoid having viewers frozen with fear.
    Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2025
  • Several groups have begun paying street vendors in California to temporarily stop working in public areas to avoid Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.
    Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 June 2025
Verb
  • If your privacy practices have been less than perfect in the past—and whose have not, given the vanishingly tiny odds of evading every form of digital data collection—additional information about you from over the years is likely available from hundreds of data brokers.
    Andy Greenberg, Wired News, 16 June 2025
  • Hundreds of Iranian missiles rained down across Israel beginning Saturday night, some of them evading the country's sophisticated defense systems.
    Rebecca Rosman, NPR, 15 June 2025
Verb
  • Police on Friday captured one of the New Orleans parish inmates who escaped six weeks ago in a jailbreak Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry called the worst in recent state history.
    CBS News, CBS News, 27 June 2025
  • In such places, summer becomes a never-ending fantasy, a pleasure dome that characters cannot escape.
    Erik Morse, Vogue, 26 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Eschew.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/eschew. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

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