Synonyms

shun

¹ American

[shuhn] / ʃʌn /

verb (used with object)

shunned, shunning

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 American

[shoon] / ʃun /

noun

Wade-Giles, Pinyin.

Yao1

'shun ¹ British

/ ʃʌn /

interjection

military a clipped form of attention

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

shun ² British

/ ʃʌn /

verb

(tr) to avoid deliberately; keep away from

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

shunnable adjective
shunner noun
unshunnable adjective

Etymology

Origin of shun

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Poor Bell was shunned and looked upon by the whole community as a murderer.

From Literature

It isn’t that they are intentionally shunning on-campus activities and events.

From The Wall Street Journal

Others continue to shun the state despite winning big concessions.

From The Wall Street Journal

Cass’s proposal for social shunning of people who take jobs in the financial sector is gross.

From The Wall Street Journal

Their very presence here is an act of defiance against the sport that shunned them.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023