shun
verb

- to ignore someone and not speak to that person because you cannot accept their behaviour, beliefs, etc.

- to avoid something (She has shunned publicity since she retired from acting)

Cambridge Dictionary

---
ETYMOLOGY

Old English scunian ‘abhor, shrink back with fear, seek safety from an enemy’, of unknown origin.

---
SYNONYMS

escape, avoid, evade, elude, shun, eschew,... these allmean to get away or keep away from something.

-  escape stresses the fact of getting away or being passed by not necessarily through effort or by conscious intent (nothing escapes her sharp eyes)

-  avoid stresses forethought and caution in keeping clear of danger or difficulty. (try to avoid past errors)

-  evade implies adroitness, ingenuity, or lack of scruple in escaping or avoiding. (she evaded the question by changing the subject)

-  elude implies a slippery or baffling quality in the person or thing that escapes (what she sees in him eludes me

-  shun often implies an avoiding as a matter of habitual practice or policy and may imply repugnance or abhorrence (you have shunned your responsibilities)

-  eschew implies an avoiding or abstaining from as unwise or distasteful (an actor who eschews melodrama)

Merriam-Webster

---
INFORMAL SYNONYMS

give someone the brush-off, tell someone where to get off, put down, freeze out, stiff-arm; send to Coventry; give someone the brush; give s/o the silent treatment, give someone the cold shoulder, cold-shoulder,  turn one's back on, cut, cut dead, look right through;

---
PUBLICITY SHUNNERS

Oddly enough, some celebrities shun publicity. On the surface such behaviour appears to be a paradox, since being a celebrity usually involves attracting the attention of the public. Nevertheless, some people are uncomfortable with fame and go to great lengths to avoid being seen or interviewed. The list of the rich and famous who have chosen to shun the limelight include:

J.D. Salinger - The author of The Catcher in the Rye published his last novel in 1965, last gave an interview in 1980 and then died a recluse in 2010.

Bobby Fischer - America's only world chess champion went from genius to eccentric recluse and lived out his last years in Iceland.

Howard Hughes - Visionary, aviator, film producer and director, and for years one of the richest men in the world. Hughes is remembered more for his eccentric and withdrawn behaviour late in life than his technical genius.

Greta Garbo - The beautiful, mysterious Swedish actress is considered one of the great female actresses of all time. In the 1950s she bought an apartment in New York City, where she lived for the rest of her life. She rarely went out and refused all interviews. She once said, "I never said, 'I want to be alone.' I only said, 'I want to be left alone.' There is all the difference."