Avoidance

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /əˈvɔɪdəns/

Definitions

1. The act of deliberately staying away from or preventing something undesirable from happening
2. The practice of intentionally steering clear of certain situations or obstacles in order to maintain comfort or safety
3. Engaging in the behavior of evading specific experiences or interactions that may lead to discomfort or trouble

Etymology: "Avoidance" is a simple formation: the verb "avoid" with the noun-forming suffix "-ance" added. The verb "avoid" came into English from Anglo-French "avoider", meaning "to empty out" or "to clear away," built from "a-" (to) and "voide" (empty), the same root that gives English "void." So the original sense of "avoid" was physical: to clear a place of people or things, or to empty something out. The shift to "keep away from" came later, as clearing a path naturally led to stepping around what stood in it. The noun "avoidance" appeared in Middle English as "avoidaunce," and it is the older of the two parts in its own right. Its earliest senses carried the notion of an act of removing or emptying, and it was used in legal and administrative contexts for the setting aside or annulment of something. The sense of deliberately evading a person, duty or danger developed from the verb's later meaning and became the everyday use of the noun today.

Synonyms: evasion, rejection, exclusion

Antonyms: acceptance, inclusion