avoid
Keep away from
To avoid something is to stay away from it or prevent it from happening: Avoid the freeway during rush hour, She avoided eye contact.
The word suggests deliberate effort to not encounter or experience something unwanted.
You can avoid a person, a topic, a collision, or a mistake.
To avoid doing something is to refrain from it: He avoided answering the question directly.
Avoid by quick movement
- sidestepEvade by moving aside
- eludeSkillfully avoid capture
- circumventAvoid by going around
- bypassRoute that skirts obstacles
skirt · deflect · duck · swerve · parry · finesse · weave · juke
To deliberately exclude
- excludeBar from participation
- leave outFail to include
- overlookMiss or commanding view
- neglectFailure to provide care
disregard · ignore · bypass · miss · drop · cut · eliminate · forgo
Prevent or deflect
- forestallPrevent by prior action
- precludeMake impossible in advance
- preemptAct to prevent
- deterPrevent through intimidation
thwart · stave off · ward off · head off · nip in the bud · block · stop · intercept
Exclude from a group
- boycottOrganized economic protest
- snubDeliberate dismissive rejection
- rejectDismiss as unsuitable
- excludeBar from participation
ignore · spurn · cold-shoulder · blacklist · alienate · isolate · banish · excommunicate
Cautious distrust
- vigilanceState of keen awareness
- prudenceCareful, wise judgment
- circumspectionCareful consideration of consequences
- discretionCareful judgment in speech
heedfulness · alertness · watchfulness · carefulness · mindfulness · foresight · judiciousness · deliberation
dodge
Avoid by quick movement
- sidestepEvade by moving aside
- eludeSkillfully avoid capture
- circumventAvoid by going around
bypass · skirt · deflect · duck · swerve · parry · finesse · weave · juke · deke
skip
To deliberately exclude
neglect · disregard · ignore · bypass · miss · drop · cut · eliminate · forgo · abstain
avert
Prevent or deflect
deter · thwart · stave off · ward off · head off · nip in the bud · block · stop · intercept · safeguard
ostracize
Exclude from a group
exclude · ignore · spurn · cold-shoulder · blacklist · alienate · isolate · banish · excommunicate · disown
wariness
Cautious distrust
- vigilanceState of keen awareness
- prudenceCareful, wise judgment
- circumspectionCareful consideration of consequences
discretion · heedfulness · alertness · watchfulness · carefulness · mindfulness · foresight · judiciousness · deliberation · hesitation
- abstinencesobriety, celibacy, chastity, teetotalism, fasting
- avoidance wordsdodge, sidestep, elude, steer clear, duck
- preventionflu shot, prevent, flu shots, protect, vaccines
- negative verbsdeny, refuse, reject, decline, forbid
- Avoiding Answersdodge, deflect, sidestep, evasive, equivocate
- adviceadvice, advise, tips, counsel, guidance
- avoid like the plagueEvade with extreme caution
- collision avoidancePreventing objects from hitting
- avoided like the plagueIntensely, deliberately evaded
- avoiding eye contactNot meeting someone's look
- avoiding like the plagueExtreme deliberate evasion
- tax avoidanceLegal payment minimization
avoided, avoidance, avoiding, unavoidable, avoids, avoidable, unavoidably, avoider, avoiders