shunned

verb

past tense of shun
as in avoided
to get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery just a ruse to shun the debt collectors

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 shunned Someone who was a bit more of a scientist, he was shunned. — Eliana Dockterman, Time, 10 June 2026 Intel has, to this point, shunned Pluton in favor of its business-only vPro security system, but that could always change. — Michael Muchmore, PC Magazine, 23 June 2026 Vampires represent those who have shunned their own humanity in order to achieve a nonexistent sense of superiority. — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 15 June 2026 Opting to take a lineout from a handy penalty — a theme of the first round in which teams generally have shunned kicks at goal — Scotland probed the narrow side then scored on the open side through Brown to make the lead nine points. — ABC News, 4 July 2026 Being adopted by a white family, only to be shunned by the Native community, perpetuated his lifelong feeling of being an outsider. — Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2026 Artificial intelligence infrastructure — Traders shunned high-flying stocks that are behind the AI buildout as the second half got underway. — Davis Giangiulio,darla Mercado, Cfp®, CNBC, 2 July 2026 While Hollywood initially shunned the use of AI software over fears of job displacement and copyright infringement, prominent film studios are beginning to embrace them. — Rashi Shrivastava, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026 In 1980, Uncanny X-Men was one of the most influential comics at Marvel, attracting readers with its stories of heroes shunned by society, yet willing to don costumes and save a world that hated and feared them. — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shunned
  1. avoided
  2. evaded
  3. escaped
Verb
  • Indeed, the folks in Akron, Amherst and Monroe, among other locales, have long awaited the winds of change, which have avoided blowing out the stale air caused by chronic losing.
    — Tom Layberger, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
  • Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo avoided a suspension for the start of this year’s tournament after a foul during a World Cup qualifier match.
    — Yash Roy, Fortune, 5 July 2026
Definition of avoided
Verb
  • On the phone, my friend Monika is telling me about a lost dog in her Salt Lake City neighborhood, a blue heeler who’s been seen limping and has evaded capture.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 June 2026
  • Russia intercepts most Ukrainian long-range drones but some have evaded Russian air defenses.
    — Joanna Kakissis, NPR, 27 June 2026
Definition of evaded
Verb
  • William Carney, a man who escaped slavery to become a Union soldier in the Civil War and who was awarded the Medal of Honor for protecting the American flag from touching the ground during battle.
    — Diego Mendoza, CNN Money, 4 July 2026
  • Born enslaved in Maryland, Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) escaped to the North and emerged as the nation’s leading abolitionist and major literary political figure of his time.
    — Melia Patria, ABC News, 4 July 2026
Definition of escaped

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shunned
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Cite this Entry

“Shunned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shunned. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on shunned

Nglish: Translation of shunned for Spanish Speakers

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