avoidant

British

/ əˈvɔɪdənt /

adjective

(of behaviour) demonstrating a tendency to avoid intimacy or interaction with others

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And I’m sorry that your ex’s choice to be avoidant is only making what I imagine to be a painful process that much more excruciating and drawn out.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 9, 2026

That might contribute to avoidant behaviours, as the individual is not sitting with how they actually feel.

From BBC • Oct. 2, 2025

I had inherited her avoidant tendencies and that urge to pull away, to run.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2025

With 2025 right around the corner, I'm noticing my avoidant side has already activated.

From Salon • Jan. 4, 2025

When they said I had avoidant personality disorder, she told them I just hadn’t learned to be comfortable in my own skin.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023