shun
English · Thesaurus
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shun
- /ʃʌn/
- /ʃʊn/ Ireland, Northern England
Rhymes with -ʌn
Where it comes from
From Middle English schonen (“to decline to do, avoid, fear”), from Old English sċunian (“to shun, fear, avoid”), of uncertain origin, though probably ultimately connected to the Proto-Indo-European root *(s)kewH- (“to cover, conceal”) via Proto-Germanic *skunōną; see that entry for more discussion.
Compare hide, shy, and Sanskrit स्कुनाति (skunāti, “to cover”).
verb shuns · shunning · shunned
-
To avoid, especially persistently; ostracize.
Acrophobes shun mountaineering.
Similar: blacklist
- To escape (a threatening evil, an unwelcome task etc). I'll shun meeting them for as long as possible.
- To screen, hide.
- To shove, push.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: eschew, banish, blackball, cast out, ostracize, ban, avoid, avoiding, shirk, abandon, avert, prevent, renounce, reject, dismiss, evade
Translations
Every language
verb to avoid, ostracize
| Español | evitar |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 忌む imu, 忌避する kihi suru |
| 中文 | 畏避 wèibì |
| Português | evitar |
| Français | éviter, rejeter |
| Deutsch | aus dem Weg gehen, ausweichen, meiden, scheuen, vermeiden, ausstoßen |
| Italiano | evitare, detestare |
| Ελληνικά | αποφεύγω apofévgo |
| Română | evita |
| Русский | избега́ть izbegátʹ, избежа́ть izbežátʹ, сторони́ться storonítʹsja, остерега́ться osteregátʹsja, бере́чься beréčʹsja |
verb to escape
| Français | fuir, esquiver |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | flüchten, ausweichen, umgehen, aus dem Weg gehen, entkommen |
| Italiano | schivare, eludere |
| Ελληνικά | αποφεύγω apofévgo |
| Română | evada |
| Русский | избега́ть izbegátʹ, избежа́ть izbežátʹ |
verb to screen, hide
| Deutsch | abschirmen, verstecken, unsichtbar machen |
|---|---|
| Italiano | stigmatizzare |
| Română | ascunde |
Talk about this word "shun." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/shun. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. shun. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/shun "shun." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/shun.Cite this
@misc{shun_2026,
title = {shun},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/shun},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
