eschewed
Steered clear of
Eschewed is the past tense of eschew, meaning to deliberately avoid or abstain from something.
The word carries a sense of principled rejection rather than mere avoidance: She eschewed social media entirely, He eschewed violence in favor of diplomacy.
Eschew is somewhat formal and often appears in writing more than speech.
Refused or turned away
- refusedDeclined to accept
- declinedRefused or diminished
- spurnedRejected with contempt
- repudiatedFormally rejected or denied
renounced · turned down · rebuffed · dismissed · discarded · abandoned · forsook · cast aside
Voluntarily held back
- forsworeRenounced under oath
- renouncedFormally rejected or abandoned
- gave upAbandoned an attempt
- quitCease doing something
abandoned · relinquished · forsook · desisted · refrained · temperance · self-denial · fasted
Deliberately stayed away from
- shunnedPersistently avoided socially
- sidesteppedAvoided by moving aside
- evadedSuccessfully avoided capture
- dodgedAvoided by quick movement
abstained · refrained · foregone · bypassed · circumvented · eluded · kept away · held off
Regarded with contempt
- disdainedRegarded with contempt
- deridedExpressed scorn toward
- contemnedViewed with scorn
- disparagedCriticized with contempt
looked down on · snubbed · cold-shouldered · frowned upon · disregarded · slighted · belittled · depreciated
rejected
Refused or turned away
repudiated · renounced · turned down · rebuffed · dismissed · discarded · abandoned · forsook · cast aside · brushed aside
abstained
Voluntarily held back
quit · abandoned · relinquished · forsook · desisted · refrained · temperance · self-denial · fasted
avoided
Deliberately stayed away from
- shunnedPersistently avoided socially
- sidesteppedAvoided by moving aside
- evadedSuccessfully avoided capture
dodged · abstained · refrained · foregone · bypassed · circumvented · eluded · kept away · held off · shirked
scorned
Regarded with contempt
looked down on · disparaged · snubbed · cold-shouldered · frowned upon · disregarded · slighted · belittled · depreciated