Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Tending to avoid or shun something, especially as a means of coping with anxiety or stress.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Exhibiting avoidance

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

avoid +‎ -ant

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Examples

  • This type is known as avoidant attachment in children.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » How to Have Less Crime and Less Punishment: A Checklist 2009

  • You might have thought I was being avoidant, but truth is, I was bored.

    PS 2009

  • All of those are important because the majority of people we see in the media and in our communities appear to prefer being absent, avoidant and then if you happen to say the least non-positive thing to them, they become defensive and reactive.

    Mark Goulston, M.D.: Anderson Cooper: Good Luck, Break a Leg! M.D. Mark Goulston 2011

  • All of those are important because the majority of people we see in the media and in our communities appear to prefer being absent, avoidant and then if you happen to say the least non-positive thing to them, they become defensive and reactive.

    Mark Goulston, M.D.: Anderson Cooper: Good Luck, Break a Leg! M.D. Mark Goulston 2011

  • All of those are important because the majority of people we see in the media and in our communities appear to prefer being absent, avoidant and then if you happen to say the least non-positive thing to them, they become defensive and reactive.

    Mark Goulston, M.D.: Anderson Cooper: Good Luck, Break a Leg! M.D. Mark Goulston 2011

  • As Yeh has pointed out, while Asian Americans are often characterized as “avoidant,” they are often, in fact, coping in culturally appropriate and healthy ways.

    The Truth About Grief Ruth Davis Konigsberg 2011

  • He scored the president as too small for the moment, as "petty" in his arguments and avoidant of the decisions entailed in leadership.

    The Divider vs. the Thinker Peggy Noonan 2011

  • While I will reserve judgment on this claim, Malhotra suggests that the Abrahamic traditions may be especially prone to conflict based on conflicting interpretations of their prophetic histories, in contrast, he suggests, to Dharmic traditions, which are less reliant on if not avoidant of the fixed history of a given person.

    Joshua Stanton: 'History Centrism': A Challenge To Abrahamic Faiths Joshua Stanton 2011

  • You might have thought I was being avoidant, but truth is, I was bored.

    PS 2009

  • All of those are important because the majority of people we see in the media and in our communities appear to prefer being absent, avoidant and then if you happen to say the least non-positive thing to them, they become defensive and reactive.

    Mark Goulston, M.D.: Anderson Cooper: Good Luck, Break a Leg! M.D. Mark Goulston 2011

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