Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- v. To avoid; shun. See Synonyms at escape.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Unwilling; disinclined.
- To refuse to use or participate in; stand aloof from; shun; avoid.
- To escape from; evade.
Wiktionary
- v. To avoid; to shun, to shy away from.
GNU Webster's 1913
- v. To shun; to avoid, as something wrong, or from a feeling of distaste; to keep one's self clear of.
- v. To escape from; to avoid.
WordNet 3.0
- v. avoid and stay away from deliberately; stay clear of
Etymologies
- Middle English escheuen, from Old French eschivir, of Germanic origin; akin to shy1.
Examples
“Full marks for keeping the word 'eschew' in common usage; and who can deny her overall claim to be "fully embracing the competition's aim of creating a tribute to a railway legend with less conventional materials.”
“* I am also making daring use of the word "eschew," which is forbidden by some publications as being snooty.”
The Washington Post: National, World & D.C. Area News and Headlines - The Washington Post
“What I will eschew is mispoona and rapa senza testa and bianca riccia da taglio and whatever else they can think up for me in the catalogues this winter.”
“Did you notice I used your favorite word "eschew"?”
The Huffington Post: Mariela Dabbah: The Power of a Bilingual Brain
“While I highly recommend the print edition of the magazine for the simple reason that the format is handiest for reading in the bathroom, I also understand that there are people who eschew paper "eschew," pronounced "achoo," is an onomatopoeia for sneezing at something.”
“The founding fathers and mothers could well have joined hands with the historical Buddha who urged us to "ESCHEW FEAR" (and probably also with his other two "eschew" s-- social conformity and attachment).”
“Of course, "eschew" isn't exactly right -- it is monks who eschew the world, in Weber's view.”
“In oldest manuscripts, Greek, "Moreover (besides his words, in acts), let him." eschew -- "turn from." ensue -- pursue as a thing hard to attain, and that flees from one in this troublesome world.”
“And he never uses words like "eschew", because he's a plain-spoken, regular guy.”
“Too bad they couldn't eschew using the word "eschew" …”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘eschew’.
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Words
phantasmagoria, eviscerate, avast, simulacrum, varicose, oblique, gestalt, ersatz, vernal, vivace, stellate, synecdoche and 314 more...
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#faveword
Words chosen as favorites for the Twitter hashtag #faveword.
autumnal, grotto, chiaroscuro, sfumato, homunculus, zing, zest, effervescent, bewitch, avuncular, susurrus, Styrofoam and 205 more...
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Utilitous wordies
screed, harangue, admonish, rigmarole, amphigory, tirade, diatribe, chide, animadversion, rant, eschew, debunk and 9 more...
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cicatrix
scar tissue
minatory, naira, Cluniac, embracive, prolix, hierophant, timorous, adduce, veracious, dysphoric, sang-froid, vitiate and 414 more...
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Moby Dick
Words of interest from the book Moby Dick.
arrant, obstreperously, coffer-dam, farrago, rejoinder, counterpane, hamper, commend, grego, dreadnought, psalmody, expostulation and 85 more...
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My List
frugal, vicissitude, scatter, fiduciary, calf, mesmerize, eke, unkempt, callousness, heist, fumble, flinty and 31 more...

lbeaumont Eschew obfuscation! Oct 10, 2010
garyth123 those who follow a macrobiotic diet eschew potatoes Dec 5, 2008
chained_bear I know, I love that list on the right. It really is very handy! Nov 1, 2007
reesetee Wha...? Weird! I was sure it was, but that handy list to our right says otherwise!
Okay, now it is. :-) Nov 1, 2007
chained_bear Reesetee, is this word on your "Gesundheit" list? Nov 1, 2007