Dictionary

shun en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ʃʊn/ (Ireland, Northern-England)
• /ʃʌn/

Etymology

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”).

Meanings

1. (transitive) To avoid, especially persistently; ostracize.
   • Acrophobes shun mountaineering.
   • British journalists shun complete respectability, feeling a duty to be ready to savage the mighty, or rummage through their bins. Elsewhere in Europe, government contracts and subsidies ensure that press barons will only defy the mighty so far. 2013 August 10, Lexington, “Keeping the mighty honest”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848:
2. (transitive) To escape (a threatening evil, an unwelcome task etc).
   • I'll shun meeting them for as long as possible.
3. (transitive) To screen, hide.
4. (transitive) To shove, push.

Forms

Deriveds

scunner · unshunned · shunner · shunpike · shunnable · shunworthy · shunless · shunpiker

Synonyms

blacklist

Translations (87)

cs ukrýt (to screen, hide) · uk цура́тися (to avoid, ostracize) · de aus dem Weg gehen (to escape) · de vermeiden (to avoid, ostracize) · sv skygga (to avoid, ostracize) · de stoßen (to shove, push) · hu elkerül (to avoid, ostracize) · bg отбягвам (to avoid, ostracize) · no sky (to avoid, ostracize) · it schivare (to escape) · gl escapar (to escape) · it eludere (to escape) · ota قاچمق (to avoid, ostracize) · ru избега́ть (to escape) · de abschirmen (to screen, hide) · ro evada (to escape) · nl vermijden (to avoid, ostracize) · tr sakınmak (to avoid, ostracize) · de scheuen (to avoid, ostracize) · fr éviter (to avoid, ostracize) · ru сторони́ться (to avoid, ostracize) · ro împinge (to shove, push) · de aus dem Weg gehen (to avoid, ostracize) · de ausweichen (to escape) · cs vyhnout se (to avoid, ostracize) · th กีดกัน (to avoid, ostracize) · it stigmatizzare (to screen, hide) · ro evita (to avoid, ostracize) · es evitar (to avoid, ostracize) · de ausweichen (to avoid, ostracize) · de umgehen (to escape) · de flüchten (to escape) · sv sky (to avoid, ostracize) · eo eviti (to avoid, ostracize) · no unngå (to avoid, ostracize) · uk остеріга́тися (to avoid, ostracize) · tr uzak durmak (to avoid, ostracize) · pt evitar (to avoid, ostracize) · de ausschließen (to avoid, ostracize) · cs schovat (to screen, hide) · de unsichtbar machen (to screen, hide) · sk utekať (to escape) · de schieben (to shove, push) · pl stronić (to avoid, ostracize) · cmn 畏避 (to avoid, ostracize) · gl evitar (to avoid, ostracize) · tr kaçınmak (to avoid, ostracize) · it evitare (to avoid, ostracize) · uk уника́ти (to avoid, ostracize) · ru бере́чься (to avoid, ostracize) · ja 忌む (to avoid, ostracize) · sk strániť sa (to avoid, ostracize) · nl ontwijken (to avoid, ostracize) · de ausstoßen (to avoid, ostracize) · el αποφεύγω (to escape) · de entkommen (to escape) · cs unikat (to escape) · da sky (to avoid, ostracize) · fr esquiver (to escape) · la ēvītō (to avoid, ostracize) · fr fuir (to escape) · enm schonen (to escape) · tr kaçmak (to escape) · de verstecken (to screen, hide) · cs zakrýt (to screen, hide) · el αποφεύγω (to avoid, ostracize) · hu kerül (to avoid, ostracize) · hu visszariad (to avoid, ostracize) · ru избега́ть (to avoid, ostracize) · fr rejeter (to avoid, ostracize) · ru избежа́ть (to escape) · ro ascunde (to screen, hide) · ru избежа́ть (to avoid, ostracize) · pl unikać (to avoid, ostracize) · ru остерега́ться (to avoid, ostracize) · cs uniknout (to escape) · got 𐌱𐌹𐍅𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (to avoid, ostracize) · ja 忌避する (to avoid, ostracize) · it detestare (to avoid, ostracize) · bg Избягвам (to escape) · sk vyhýbať sa (to avoid, ostracize) · fi karttaa (to avoid, ostracize) · cs vyhýbat se (to avoid, ostracize) · cs zakrývat (to screen, hide) · ota قاچمق (to escape) · cs ukrývat (to screen, hide) · de meiden (to avoid, ostracize)