Synonyms of shun

shun

verb

ˈshən 

as in to avoid

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

just a ruse to shun the debt collectors

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb shun contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of shun are avoid, elude, escape, eschew, and evade. While all these words mean "to get away or keep away from something," shun often implies an avoiding as a matter of habitual practice or policy and may imply repugnance or abhorrence.

you have shunned your responsibilities

Where would avoid be a reasonable alternative to shun?

In some situations, the words avoid and shun are roughly equivalent. However, avoid stresses forethought and caution in keeping clear of danger or difficulty.

try to avoid past errors

When can elude be used instead of shun?

While the synonyms elude and shun are close in meaning, elude implies a slippery or baffling quality in the person or thing that escapes.

what she sees in him eludes me

When is escape a more appropriate choice than shun?

The synonyms escape and shun are sometimes interchangeable, but 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 might eschew be a better fit than shun?

While in some cases nearly identical to shun, eschew implies an avoiding or abstaining from as unwise or distasteful.

a playwright who eschews melodrama

In what contexts can evade take the place of shun?

Although the words evade and shun have much in common, evade implies adroitness, ingenuity, or lack of scruple in escaping or avoiding.

evaded the question by changing the subject

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of shun

But Francis, who had taken a vow of poverty as a Jesuit priest, typically shunned the trappings of papal luxury. —Aryn Baker, Time, 26 Apr. 2025

Since April 2023, Dagalo and former ally Abdel Fattah al-Burhan who heads the SAF have shunned global efforts to end their feud and have bitterly competed for control of the country. —Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2025

Complacently monopolistic steel and auto companies had entered into mutual suicide pacts with their unions, shunning new and cheaper steel processes and quality-control methods being introduced elsewhere with the short-term goal of saving jobs. —Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 27 Apr. 2025

Even children and adolescents express more willingness to shun and punish moral transgressors than people who do something personally obnoxious or offensive but not immoral. —Jen Cole Wright, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2025