Word
avoidance
Phoneticsavoid·ance
US/əˈvɔɪdəns/
UK/ɐvˈɔɪdəns/
Definitions
01staying away from
B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun
n. the act of staying away from a person, place, or situation.
n. the act of shunning or keeping clear of something unpleasant or harmful.
“His avoidance of the subject made it clear he didn't want to talk about the accident.”
“The patient's persistent avoidance of social situations was identified by the therapist as a primary symptom of his underlying anxiety disorder.”
Antonyms
02preventing something
B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun
n. the act of making sure something bad does not happen.
n. the prevention of an anticipated or likely event through deliberate action.
“The pilot took quick action for the avoidance of a collision.”
“Strict safety protocols are essential for the avoidance of industrial accidents in high-risk manufacturing environments.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
03tax/legal
C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Law Technical
n. the legal way of reducing the amount of tax you have to pay.
n. the legal exploitation of the tax regime to one's own advantage, to reduce the amount of tax that is payable by means that are within the law.
“The company used clever tax avoidance schemes to keep more of its profits.”
“The government introduced new legislation to close loopholes that allowed aggressive tax avoidance by multinational corporations.”
Usage
Often appears in the phrase 'tax avoidance' to distinguish it from illegal 'tax evasion'.
Pitfall
He was arrested for tax avoidance.
He was arrested for tax evasion.
Avoidance is legal; evasion is illegal. You are not usually arrested for avoidance.
Teaching tip
Explain to students that 'avoidance' is the legal strategy, while 'evasion' is the criminal act.
Synonyms
Antonyms
04annulling a contract
C2 · Proficiency Uncountable noun Law Formal · Technical
n. the act of making a legal agreement or contract no longer valid.
n. the act of annulling or making void; the invalidation of a legal instrument or a plea.
“The lawyer argued for the avoidance of the contract based on a technical error.”
“The court ruled that the misrepresentation of facts justified the avoidance of the insurance policy from its inception.”
Synonyms
Antonyms
Real-World Examples
“By contrast, being confident that the other person's belief was simply different—not wrong—did not predict avoidance.” Etymology
From Middle English avoidaunce, from avoid + -ance.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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