Avoid vs. Ignore: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Updated on December 25, 2023
Avoid means to keep away from or prevent, whereas ignore means to deliberately pay no attention to something or someone.
Key Differences
Avoiding involves taking action to stay away from something or preventing an occurrence, while ignoring is about not acknowledging or deliberately overlooking something.
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Dec 01, 2023
When you avoid, you actively make choices to prevent or steer clear of a situation, person, or thing. Ignoring, however, involves a conscious decision to not engage with or acknowledge something already present.
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Avoidance can be a proactive measure (like avoiding unhealthy foods), whereas ignoring is often a reactive measure (like ignoring a comment).
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In the context of conflict, avoidance might mean staying away from situations where conflict could arise, whereas ignoring would be choosing not to react to conflict when it occurs.
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Avoidance often involves physical actions or changes in behavior, while ignoring is more about inattention or mental dismissal of something.
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Comparison Chart
Conflict Management
Staying away from conflict situations
Not reacting to conflict when it occurs
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Behavioral Implication
Involves physical actions or behavior change
Involves mental or attentional dismissal
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Avoid and Ignore Definitions
Avoid
To keep away from or refrain from.
She avoided the busy streets for a quieter route.
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Ignore
To refuse to take notice of or acknowledge.
He ignored the warning signs.
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Avoid
To prevent the occurrence of something.
To avoid accidents, he checked his car brakes regularly.
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Ignore
To neglect or pay no attention to.
They ignored the maintenance needs of their house.
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Ignore
To deliberately overlook or disregard.
She ignored her friend's advice.
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Avoid
To take measures so as not to meet or see (someone)
"He never let go of the idea that she lived out there in order to avoid him" (Elizabeth Benedict).
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Ignore
To intentionally pay no attention to something.
The teacher ignored the background noise during the lecture.
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Avoid
To prevent from happening
You can avoid illness with exercise and a balanced diet.
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Ignore
To fail to consider something important.
He ignored the fact that he was overworking himself.
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Avoid
To refrain from using, engaging in, or partaking of
Avoid red meat.
Avoid risky behavior.
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Avoid
To refrain from (doing something)
It was all we could do to avoid laughing at the remark.
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Ignore
To deliberately not listen or pay attention to.
A problem ignored is a problem doubled.
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Avoid
(transitive) To try not to meet or communicate with (a person); to shun
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Avoid
(transitive) To stay out of the way of (something harmful).
I avoided the slap easily.
One town was flooded from the storm, while the other town avoided the storm.
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Ignore
To be ignorant of or not acquainted with.
Philosophy would solidly be established, if men would more carefully distinguish those things that they know from those that they ignore.
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Avoid
To keep away from; to keep clear of; to stay away from
I try to avoid the company of gamblers.
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Ignore
To throw out or reject as false or ungrounded; - said of a bill rejected by a grand jury for lack of evidence. See Ignoramus.
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Ignore
Hence: To refuse to take notice of; to shut the eyes to; not to recognize; to disregard willfully and causelessly; as, to ignore certain facts; to ignore the presence of an objectionable person.
Ignoring Italy under our feet,And seeing things before, behind.
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Avoid
To leave, evacuate; to leave as empty, to withdraw or come away from.
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Avoid
To quit or evacuate; to withdraw from.
Six of us only stayed, and the rest avoidedthe room.
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Avoid
To make void; to annul or vacate; to refute.
How can these grants of the king's be avoided?
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Avoid
To keep away from; to keep clear of; to endeavor no to meet; to shun; to abstain from; as, to avoid the company of gamesters.
What need a man forestall his date of grief.And run to meet what he would most avoid ?
He carefully avoided every act which could goad them into open hostility.
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Avoid
To defeat or evade; to invalidate. Thus, in a replication, the plaintiff may deny the defendant's plea, or confess it, and avoid it by stating new matter.
No man can pray from his heart to be kept from temptation, if the take no care of himself to avoid it.
So Chanticleer, who never saw a fox,Yet shunned him as a sailor shuns the rocks.
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Avoid
Stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something;
Her former friends now avoid her
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Avoid
Prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening;
Let's avoid a confrontation
Head off a confrontation
Avert a strike
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Avoid
Refrain from doing something;
She refrains from calling her therapist too often
He should avoid publishing his wife's memoires
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Avoid
Refrain from certain foods or beverages;
I keep off drugs
During Ramadan, Muslims avoid tobacco during the day
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Avoid
To intentionally stay clear of someone or something.
He avoided his ex-colleague at the event.
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Avoid
To abstain from or not do something.
She avoided sweets to maintain her health.
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Avoid
To evade or escape from something.
The thief tried to avoid the police.
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Repeatedly Asked Queries
What does ignoring mean?
Refusing to take notice of or acknowledge something.
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Does ignoring require awareness of what is being ignored?
Yes, it's a conscious decision to not engage with something known.
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Is avoiding always a physical action?
Often, but it can also be a decision or a mental process.
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Is avoiding a form of problem-solving?
It can be, especially when it prevents negative outcomes.
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What is the primary action in avoidance?
Keeping away from or refraining from something.
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Can avoid and ignore be used interchangeably?
Not usually, as they imply different types of actions.
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What is a common use of avoid in daily life?
Avoiding unhealthy habits or dangerous situations.
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Is ignoring someone always negative?
Not always, it can be a coping mechanism or a way to maintain focus.
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How does ignoring affect relationships?
It can lead to misunderstandings or feelings of neglect.
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Is it possible to avoid something without ignoring it?
Yes, you can be aware of something but choose to stay away from it.
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Do both words have similar emotional impacts?
They can, but the context often determines the emotional response.
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Can a person avoid a topic in conversation?
Yes, by steering the conversation away from that topic.
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Can ignoring be a form of non-verbal communication?
Yes, it can send a message without words.
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How do avoid and ignore differ in conflict resolution?
Avoidance prevents conflict, while ignoring chooses not to engage with existing conflict.
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Can ignoring ever be beneficial?
Yes, like when ignoring distractions to focus on a task.
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Can ignoring lead to unresolved issues?
Yes, because it involves not dealing with the issue directly.
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Is avoidance always a conscious decision?
Mostly, though sometimes it can be a subconscious reaction.
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Dec 01, 2023
Can ignoring be a form of denial?
In some cases, it can be a way of denying reality.
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Are there healthy forms of avoidance?
Yes, such as avoiding stressors or harmful situations.
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Dec 01, 2023
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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