shun

¹

[shuhn]

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

Shun

²

[shoon]

noun

Wade-Giles, Pinyin.

1. Yao1

'shun

¹

/ ʃʌn /

interjection

1. military a clipped form of attention

shun

²

/ ʃʌn /

verb

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

Other Word Forms

• shunnable adjective
• shunner noun
• unshunnable adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of shun¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of shun¹

Old English scunian, of obscure origin

Example Sentences

Activists urged viewers to cancel Disney subscriptions, advertisers to shun ABC and local stations to refuse cooperation.

From Salon

For a party that has largely shunned flag-waving displays of national pride, this is a new departure.

From BBC

Redford often shunned the Hollywood limelight, preferring to plough his own furrow.

From BBC

Divorce makes for good drama in any era, but vintage society’s unspoken rules about shunning divorced women seem simultaneously silly, bizarre and mean-spirited.

From Salon

But the report found that since Kim shunned diplomacy with the West and the US in 2019, instead focusing on his weapons programme, people's living situations and human rights had "degraded".

From BBC

Related Words

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