avoidance

American  

[uh-void-ns] / əˈvɔɪd ns /

noun

avoidances plural

1. the act of avoiding or keeping away from.

   the avoidance of scandal; the avoidance of one's neighbors.

2. Law. a making void; annulment.

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avoidance British  

/ əˈvɔɪdəns /

noun

1. the act of keeping away from or preventing from happening

2. law

   1. the act of annulling or making void

   2. the countering of an opponent's plea with fresh evidence

3. ecclesiastical law the state of a benefice having no incumbent

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonavoidance
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• avoidances
  plural

Etymology

Origin of avoidance

1350–1400; Middle English < Anglo-French; see avoid, -ance

Explanation

The act of deliberately keeping yourself away from something is avoidance. Your avoidance of the outdoors this summer has left you very pale! Some types of avoidance make a lot of sense, like the avoidance of horror movies by someone who's easily frightened. Others are less healthy, like your avoidance of doing homework, which inevitably leads to a panic when you realize it's all due tomorrow. In law, avoidance means "making something nullified or void," the way failing to fulfill certain obligations can result in avoidance of a signed contract.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

avoidance avoidances

“It’s just an avoidance mindset,” noted Andrew Crowell, vice chair of wealth management at D.A.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026

Or is it what we call avoidance when we want avoidance to sound principled?

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026

He praised Powell’s avoidance of engaging in tit for tat with the president.

From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026

"It punishes the wrong people and ignores real avoidance," the report stated.

From BBC ● May 15, 2026

But when it comes to uncertainty avoidance, the two nations could not be further apart.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

In worry exposure the person is told to set a daily time to purposefully seat in a "worry chair" and think repeatedly about the thoughts that are anxiety provoking without engaging in distractions or avoidances.

From New York Times ● Oct. 20, 2016

Superstitions are not free—rituals and avoidances cost an animal in terms of energy or lost opportunities.

From US News ● Jun. 8, 2011

She wondered, and began to consider the recent days, searching their hours for those tiny incidents, those small reticences, avoidances, that to women are revelations.

From A Spirit in Prison by Hichens, Robert Smythe

Their little avoidances of touch or tenderness spoke in a language not to be misunderstood, and their eyes told unconsciously all that they refused to say with their tongues.

From The Wind Before the Dawn by Munger, Dell H.

Here it is proposed intentionally to set up a galvanic couple to prevent corrosion; there, with the same object in view, the avoidances of galvanic action is counselled.

From Acetylene, the Principles of Its Generation and Use A Practical Handbook on the Production, Purification, and Subsequent Treatment of Acetylene for the Development of Light, Heat, and Power by Leeds, F. H. (Frank Henley)

Related Words

• evasion
• prevention
• restraint