AVOID Synonyms: 131 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'avoid' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of avoid are elude , escape , eschew , evade , and shun . While all these words mean "to get away or keep away from something," avoid stresses forethought and caution in keeping clear of danger or difficulty. // try to avoid past errors

Q: When might 'elude' be a better fit than 'avoid'?

While the synonyms elude and avoid are close in meaning, elude implies a slippery or baffling quality in the person or thing that escapes. // what she sees in him eludes me

Q: When is it sensible to use 'escape' instead of 'avoid'?

The words escape and avoid are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, escape stresses the fact of getting away or being passed by not necessarily through effort or by conscious intent. // nothing escapes her sharp eyes

Q: In what contexts can 'eschew' take the place of 'avoid'?

The words eschew and avoid can be used in similar contexts, but eschew implies an avoiding or abstaining from as unwise or distasteful. // a playwright who eschews melodrama

Q: When can 'evade' be used instead of 'avoid'?

In some situations, the words evade and avoid are roughly equivalent. However, evade implies adroitness, ingenuity, or lack of scruple in escaping or avoiding. // evaded the question by changing the subject

Q: Where would 'shun' be a reasonable alternative to 'avoid'?

While in some cases nearly identical to avoid , shun often implies an avoiding as a matter of habitual practice or policy and may imply repugnance or abhorrence. // you have shunned your responsibilities

avoid

verb

ə-ˈvȯid

Definition of avoid

as in to evade

to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery trying to avoid writing thank-you notes for the gifts he didn't like

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to abolish

to put an end to by formal action asked the court to avoid the contract because it was signed under duress

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb avoid contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of avoid are elude, escape, eschew, evade, and shun. While all these words mean "to get away or keep away from something," avoid stresses forethought and caution in keeping clear of danger or difficulty.

try to avoid past errors

When might elude be a better fit than avoid?

While the synonyms elude and avoid are close in meaning, elude implies a slippery or baffling quality in the person or thing that escapes.

what she sees in him eludes me

When is it sensible to use escape instead of avoid?

The words escape and avoid are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, escape stresses the fact of getting away or being passed by not necessarily through effort or by conscious intent.

nothing escapes her sharp eyes

In what contexts can eschew take the place of avoid?

The words eschew and avoid can be used in similar contexts, but eschew implies an avoiding or abstaining from as unwise or distasteful.

a playwright who eschews melodrama

When can evade be used instead of avoid?

In some situations, the words evade and avoid are roughly equivalent. However, evade implies adroitness, ingenuity, or lack of scruple in escaping or avoiding.

evaded the question by changing the subject

Where would shun be a reasonable alternative to avoid?

While in some cases nearly identical to avoid, shun often implies an avoiding as a matter of habitual practice or policy and may imply repugnance or abhorrence.

you have shunned your responsibilities

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of avoid The chemical smell was hanging inside their home as her husband taped windows shut to avoid more leaking inside. — Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 21 Oct. 2026 The Otherworlds are just like the aes sidhe themselves, beautiful and beguiling and full of wondrous magic, but to be feared and avoided nonetheless. — Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026 The Mescalero Apache traditionally lived on hills above the creeks and wetlands to avoid rising water and mosquitoes, Walsh Padilla said. — Abe Streep, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026 Breed technically finished her journey from Oregon to Mexico in private three miles offshore to avoid the sewage and pollution crisis from the Tijuana River. — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for avoid

Recent Examples of Synonyms for avoid

Verb

Europe hopes to build the euro into an alternative global currency to evade the dollar’s iron grip.

— Henry Farrell, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026
Tel Aviv — At least 40 ultra-Orthodox Jewish men were arrested upon arriving Tuesday morning at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport on suspicion of attempting to evade the country's military draft, the Israel Defense Forces said.

— Dov Lieber, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of evade

Verb

Other New York literati, like Camille Paglia, expressed similar views and endorsed the organization’s goal of abolishing the age of consent.

— Jack Denton, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
The Book of Revelation tells us, sort of, the Antichrist will abolish financial freedom.

— David Gibson, The Verge, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of abolish

Verb

For all its tests, the company builds realistic simulated environments, red teams these environments itself and with third parties to see whether they can be escaped, and monitors what agents do.

— Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
Most of the work of recovery is about treating whatever is causing people to escape their lives into endless scrolling and stimulation, Kardaras says.

— Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of escape

Verb

Riyadh said the discussions were aimed at keeping diplomatic channels open and preventing another escalation in hostilities.

— Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026
Such a concentration of power could prevent the effective maintenance of checks and balances on policy decisions by institutions.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of prevent

Verb

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces a close vote Tuesday, says Iran's leadership must be eliminated.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
Its purpose is to help eliminate malignant cells that may remain after surgery, reducing the chance of another tumor taking hold.

— Mike McRae October 25, New Atlas, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of eliminate

Verb

Yet those strengths may not be enough to overturn the structural advantages enjoyed by Moscow and Beijing, said experts.

— Lee Ying Shan,Matthew Tan, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026
Bolsonaro also called for amnesty for his father, Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence under house arrest after being found guilty of plotting a coup to overturn his defeat in the 2022 election.

— Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of overturn

Browse Nearby Words

avocations

avoid

avoidable

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Style

“Avoid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/avoid. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of avoid

verb

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