shun

¹ American  

[shuhn] / ʃʌn /

verb (used with object)

shunned, shunning

1. to keep away from (a place, person, object, etc.), from motives of dislike, caution, etc.; take pains to avoid.

   Synonyms:

   eschew, evade

   Antonyms:

   seek

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Shun ² American  

[shoon] / ʃun /

noun

Wade-Giles, Pinyin.

1. Yao1

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'shun ¹ British  

/ ʃʌn /

interjection

1. military a clipped form of attention

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shun ² British  

/ ʃʌn /

verb

1. (tr) to avoid deliberately; keep away from

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Other Word Forms

• shunnable adjective
• shunner noun
• unshunnable adjective

Etymology

Origin of shun

First recorded before 950; Middle English shunen, Old English scunian “to avoid, fear”

Example Sentences

Cass’s proposal for social shunning of people who take jobs in the financial sector is gross.

From The Wall Street Journal

Their very presence here is an act of defiance against the sport that shunned them.

From The Wall Street Journal

For the most part, however, until Jesse was famous, he shunned his son, who was later adopted by the man his mother married, Charles Jackson.

From Los Angeles Times

Robert Duvall, a prolific, Oscar-winning actor who shunned glitz and won praise as one of his generation's greatest and most versatile artists, has died at age 95.

From Barron's

Despite the fact that Dennis had converted to Islam before meeting Sahir, the couple said they were "shunned" by people who did not think their marriage would work.

From BBC

Related Words

• despise
• disdain
• eschew
• neglect
• pass up
• refuse
• reject
• scorn
• snub