Avoid
Avoid verb - To get or keep away from (as a responsibility) through cleverness or trickery.
Refrain from is a synonym for avoid in abstain from topic. In some cases you can use "Refrain from" instead a verb "Avoid", when it comes to topics like eschew.
Refrain from
Refrain from verb - To resist the temptation of.
Usage example: couldn't refrain from ruffling her nephew's neatly combed hair whenever she saw him
Avoid is a synonym for refrain from in action topic. You can use "Avoid" instead a verb "Refrain from", if it concerns topics such as be careful, abstain from, eschew.
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
Both terms in one sentence
- By the same token, the villains refrain from targeting civilian identities and try to avoid killing superheroes.
Source: Enforced Cold War - A word in Greek or Latin that means "avoid" or "refrain from" can sometimes be translated into English, albeit loosely, as "hate".
- They also strictly refrain from killing victims, although that's more to avoid trespassing on the Assassins' economic turf than for standards' sake with a certain amount of pragmatism in that if you kill someone while robbing them then you can't rob them again later.
Cite this Source
Refrain from and Avoid. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/avoid/refrain_from
Avoid & Refrain from. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/avoid/refrain_from>.
Refrain from or Avoid. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/avoid/refrain_from.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "avoid" and "refrain from" have occurred on timeline