Shunned
/ʃʌnd/
Definitions
To persistently avoid, reject, or exclude someone or something.
/ʃʌnd/
Avoided and rejected
After the scandal, the celebrity was shunned by the public.
💡 Simply: Imagine someone always walks the other way when they see you, or avoids talking to you. That person is shunning you.
👶 For kids: To act like you don't know someone or something, and stay away from them on purpose.
More Examples
She shunned the limelight and preferred a quiet life.
The villagers shunned the witch because they believed she brought bad luck.
He was shunned by his colleagues because of his unethical behavior.
How It's Used
"The outcast was shunned by the community."
"He shunned the temptations of the city and returned to the quiet countryside."
Synonyms
From Middle English shunnen, shonnen, from Old English scunian (“to shun, avoid”), from Proto-Germanic *skunōjaną (“to avoid”), from Proto-Indo-European *skew- (“to cover, conceal, avoid”).
The word 'shun' and its inflections have appeared in literature and historical texts for centuries, often used to describe social exclusion or avoidance of harmful things.
Memory tip
Think of a person giving you the cold shoulder and deliberately turning away.