Synonyms of shirk

shirk

verb

ˈshərk 

1

as in to avoid

to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery

you always try to shirk paying your fair share of the bill by claiming you "forgot" your wallet

Synonyms & Similar Words

• avoid
• evade
• escape
• shun
• eschew
• elude
• shake
• prevent
• dodge
• eliminate
• deflect
• scape
• shuffle (out of)
• steer clear of
• finesse
• keep clear of
• fight shy of
• get around
• duck
• obviate
• weasel (out of)
• stay clear of
• avert
• preclude
• exclude
• circumvent
• miss
• ward (off)
• thwart
• debar
• rule out
• divert
• parry
• except
• ban
• outwit
• bypass
• foil
• frustrate
• fox
• outsmart
• bar
• overreach
• outfox
• skirt

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• accept
• seek
• pursue
• embrace
• welcome
• incur
• catch
• contract
• court

2

as in to neglect

to leave undone or unattended to especially through carelessness

a deadbeat who has been shirking his duty to his family for years

Synonyms & Similar Words

• neglect
• forget
• slack (off)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• do
• remember
• perform
• attend (to)
• carry out
• achieve
• accomplish
• execute
• maintain
• keep up

3

as in to lurk

to move about in a sly or secret manner

given the multitude of auditoriums at the multiplex, it's not too difficult for underaged kids to shirk into R-rated movies

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lurk
• sneak
• slip
• slide
• steal
• mouse
• snake
• crawl
• slink
• skulk
• pussyfoot
• creep
• tiptoe
• mooch
• edge
• ghost
• pad
• worm
• inch

Examples of shirk in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Even the way Jennifer Lopez carried her bag is somewhat impractical for a shopping trip, shirking a shoulder strap in favor of holding the top handles. —Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 18 Aug. 2024

If Japan stops shirking its responsibility, its behavior might pressure others to follow suit—accelerating global action on decarbonization and hastening the adoption of climate friendly technologies. —Richard Katz, Foreign Affairs, 21 Apr. 2021

Humana shirked its responsibility by telling the government that its plan would cover drug costs that Humana did not actually plan to cover. —Kathryn Gregory, The Courier-Journal, 16 Aug. 2024

In May a viral tweet for example proclaimed an ostensible medical miracle: a woman with breast cancer shirked chemotherapy to cure her cancer with a special dietary protocol. —David Robert Grimes, Scientific American, 1 July 2024