avoidance

/əˈvɔɪdəns/

the act of keeping away from something

She practices avoidance by ignoring her emails when stressed.

She deliberately avoids dealing with her emails when she feels overwhelmed.

general

The act of keeping away from someone or something

His avoidance of social gatherings made people wonder about his health.

Because he never attends parties or meetings, people started to worry about him.

Can refer to physical or emotional distancing.

psychology

The practice of deliberately not addressing a problem or issue

Her avoidance of conflict led to unresolved tensions in the team.

Because she never confronted problems directly, the team's issues never got resolved.

Common in discussions about coping mechanisms and mental health.

Collocations

avoidance behavioractions taken to stay away from somethingavoidance strategya plan to prevent dealing with something

a psychological strategy of avoiding stressors

actions taken to stay away from something

Avoidance can be both physical (e.g., avoiding a place) or psychological (e.g., avoiding a difficult conversation).

In formal contexts, 'avoidance' is preferred over slang like 'dodging' or 'skipping.'

From Middle English 'avoidance,' from Old French 'avoidier,' from 'a-' (to) + 'void' (empty).

Often used in psychology to describe coping mechanisms. Can be literal (physical avoidance) or figurative (emotional avoidance).

avoid

to keep away from

root

-ance

the state or condition of

suffix

English Dictionary