敬遠

けいえん

pretending to respect (someone) while in fact staying distant; keeping at arm's length; giving a wide berth

Also:avoiding (something unpleasant), giving (the batter) an "intentional walk"

What does 敬遠 mean?

敬遠 is a Japanese noun meaning pretending to respect (someone) while in fact staying distant; keeping at arm's length; giving a wide berth in English. It can also be translated as avoiding (something unpleasant), giving (the batter) an "intentional walk" depending on context. It is written as 敬遠 in kanji, けいえん in hiragana, and keien in romaji. This word is part of JLPT N2 vocabulary.

Example sentence

トムはすぐにヒステリーを起こすので、みんなが敬遠する。

Tom loses his temper so easily that everybody avoids him.