'shun
Definition
- Verb:
- To avoid deliberately: "shun" means to keep away from someone or something intentionally, often due to dislike, disapproval, or caution.
- To reject or ignore: It can also mean to refuse to accept, acknowledge, or engage with a person, idea, or practice.
Usage Examples
- (They deliberately avoided him because of disapproval.)
- (They intentionally avoid these foods.)
- (She rejected public attention.)
Advanced Usage
"to shun like the plague": to avoid someone or something with extreme aversion.
- He shuns social gatherings like the plague. (He avoids them very strongly.)
"to shun company": to avoid being around other people.
- The old man shuns company and prefers solitude. (He deliberately stays alone.)
Variants and Related Words
Shunner (n): a person who avoids or rejects something.
- He is a well-known shunner of modern technology. (Someone who deliberately avoids technology.)
Shunning (n): the act of avoiding or rejecting.
- The shunning of certain foods is common in this diet. (The practice of avoiding them.)
Synonyms
- Avoid: to keep away from.
- Eschew: to deliberately avoid or abstain from.
- Rebuff: to reject or snub someone.
- Ostracize: to exclude someone from a group or society.
Phrasal Verbs
- Shun away from (rare): to move away from something to avoid it.
- The cat shunned away from the loud noise. (It moved away to avoid the sound.)
Related Idioms
Give a wide berth: to keep a safe distance from someone or something.
- I give a wide berth to that aggressive dog. (I avoid it carefully.)
Cold shoulder: to deliberately ignore or show unfriendliness.
- She gave him the cold shoulder at the party. (She shunned him.)