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

Boxing Day sales have seen a muted start as shoppers continued to shun bricks-and-mortar stores in favour of online.

From BBC

Back home, his family was shunned by neighbors, co-workers and friends.

From The Wall Street Journal

For years, most American consumers shunned giving secondhand gifts.

From The Wall Street Journal

She knows just what it’s like to be loved, revered, misunderstood, mischaracterized, hated, shunned, laughed at and laughed with.

From Salon

One farmer told the BBC: "I would be shunned if I publicly rejected hunting."

From BBC

Related Words

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