eschew

eschew
verb
es·;chew e-;sh;  i-; es-;ch;  is-;  also  e-;sky;
eschewed; eschewing; eschews
Synonyms of eschew
transitive verb

: to avoid habitually especially on moral or practical grounds : shun
eschewal
e-;sh;-;l
i-
;
es-;ch;-
is-
;
 also
e-;sky;-
 noun


Did you know?
Something to chew on: there’s no etymological relationship between the verbs chew and eschew. While the former comes from the Old English word c;owan, eschew comes instead from the Anglo-French verb eschiver and shares roots with the Old High German verb sciuhen, meaning “to frighten off.” In his famous dictionary of 1755, Samuel Johnson characterized eschew as “almost obsolete.” History has proven that the great lexicographer was wrong on that call, however. Today, following a boom in the word’s usage during the 19th and 20th centuries, English speakers and writers use eschew when something is avoided less for temperamental reasons than for moral or practical ones, even if misguidedly so, as when Barry Lopez wrote in his 2019 book Horizon of ill-fated Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott, “with an attitude of cultural superiority, eschewing sled dogs for Manchurian ponies....”

Synonyms
avoid
dodge
duck
elude
escape
evade
finesse
get around
scape
shake
shirk
shuffle (out of)
shun
weasel (out of)
Choose the Right Synonym for eschew

escape, avoid, evade, elude, shun, eschew mean to get away or keep away from something.

escape stresses the fact of getting away or being passed by not necessarily through effort or by conscious intent.

nothing escapes her sharp eyes
avoid stresses forethought and caution in keeping clear of danger or difficulty.

try to avoid past errors
evade implies adroitness, ingenuity, or lack of scruple in escaping or avoiding.

evaded the question by changing the subject
elude implies a slippery or baffling quality in the person or thing that escapes.

what she sees in him eludes me
shun often implies an avoiding as a matter of habitual practice or policy and may imply repugnance or abhorrence.

you have shunned your responsibilities
eschew implies an avoiding or abstaining from as unwise or distasteful.

a playwright who eschews melodrama
Examples of eschew in a Sentence
Though a doctor with psychiatric training, he eschewed the science that had so enamored earlier child-rearing professionals …
—Sue Halpern, New York Review of Books, 29 May 2003
A fair number of academics eschew the simple title "professor" and call themselves economists, astronomers, historians, philosophers.
—Tracy Kidder, Home Town, 1999
When introduced to a stranger, he eschewed formalities, stuck out a gnarled right hand and responded with a chummy, "Hermann."
—Tim Layden, Sports Illustrated, 2 Feb. 1998
They now eschew the violence of their past.
a psychologist who eschews the traditional methods of psychotherapy
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In Sister Deborah, real liberation lies in eschewing conformity to any dogma, even the Bible.
—Tope Folarin, The Atlantic, 21 Nov. 2024
Policymakers continued to eschew any effort to address structural forces driving Black poverty.
—Ben Zdencanovic, TIME, 4 Nov. 2024
Sorolla often sought to make his portraits appear natural, eschewing formal poses in favor of capturing intimate moments.
—Natasha Gural, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
Perhaps the divide between older workers—who consistently break for lunch—and new workforce entrants—who often eschew it—stems from the pandemic, as so many modern workplace trends do.
—Jane Thier, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2024