as in avoided
to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery
just a ruse to shun the debt collectors
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Recent Examples of shunned
But in late January, a cadre of federal workers yanked placards from the site’s brick walls in response to a March 2025 executive order from the White House that shunned complication.
—
Adam Harris, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2026
Canadians shunned American products in response to new tariffs.
—Juliana Kim, NPR, 7 Feb. 2026
The festival is now a central tenet of Candomblé, an Afro-Brazilian religion that was once shunned in favor of Catholicism, but that is now gaining recognition.
—Paige Bruton, semafor.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Some countries are urging a stronger UN America’s adversaries also have shunned the board.
—Edith M. Lederer, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
The film follows a lonely fisherwoman who asks a master basket weaver to build her a husband out of wood, only to become the envy of the village that once shunned her.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 25 Jan. 2026
Her wedding was scheduled to take place six months from then, and Ens wouldn't be allowed to attend the nuptials if she was shunned.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026
The months that followed were harsh and isolating, with the teenager shunned by friends and left out of social events.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 13 Jan. 2026
Wall Street has shunned Venezuela for a long time.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 7 Jan. 2026
Adam Harris, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2026
Canadians shunned American products in response to new tariffs.
—Juliana Kim, NPR, 7 Feb. 2026
The festival is now a central tenet of Candomblé, an Afro-Brazilian religion that was once shunned in favor of Catholicism, but that is now gaining recognition.
—Paige Bruton, semafor.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Some countries are urging a stronger UN America’s adversaries also have shunned the board.
—Edith M. Lederer, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
The film follows a lonely fisherwoman who asks a master basket weaver to build her a husband out of wood, only to become the envy of the village that once shunned her.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 25 Jan. 2026
Her wedding was scheduled to take place six months from then, and Ens wouldn't be allowed to attend the nuptials if she was shunned.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026
The months that followed were harsh and isolating, with the teenager shunned by friends and left out of social events.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 13 Jan. 2026
Wall Street has shunned Venezuela for a long time.
—Sarah Min, CNBC, 7 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shunned
Verb
-
Police on Saturday had reported that initial information suggested two people at the rear of the group had avoided the slide.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2026
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Maybe if Robinson had 31-inch arms the Dolphins wouldn’t have romanticized him so much, and avoided selecting him with the 21st overall pick.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
What emerged, Jackson told the court Thursday, was the portrait of a transient and calculating offender who operated across multiple states and evaded law enforcement for years.—
Austin Sanders,
Austin American Statesman,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Song evaded capture for two weeks.—
Kevin Krause,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Ryan struck out Nolan Arenado and walked a batter but escaped the inning when Dalton Rushing threw the runner out trying to steal second base.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
26 Feb. 2026
-
My father and his immediate family escaped from Vienna to the United States on the eve of the outbreak of the war.—
Cary Lowe,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shunned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shunned. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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