noun

evasion

ih-VAY-zhuhn/ɪˈveɪʒn/

The act of avoiding something one does not want to face.

His quiet exit with a tennis racket is an evasion of chores.

A household chore left undone: an adult quietly slips out the kitchen doorway carrying a tennis racket while a housemate points to a nearby overflowing basket of laundry. The departing adult escapes an obvious assigned task with an apologetic over-shoulder look.

Etymology

eLatinaway

+vasLatinto go, walk

+ionLatinaction

“Going away” supplies the image of escape. Evasion first meant a way out or expedient, connecting physical escape with avoiding a duty, question, or danger.

In context

Pictures&More152:26

I secretly admired the adroit way in which Thorndike had evaded the rather pointed question without making any actual misstatement but the motive for the evasion was not very obvious to me

The D'Arblay Mystery by R. Austin Freeman | Detective Fiction | Audiobook

More examples

Tax evasion can lead to fines or prison.
She recognizes his vague reply as another evasion.
The fugitive's evasion of capture lasts only a day.

Forms

evasion · evasions

evade verb — To avoid a duty, question, or capture.

evasive adjective — Avoiding direct answers or clear commitments.

Similar words

avoidance: Broader term that does not necessarily imply deliberate escape.
dodging: More informal; suggests active efforts to escape something unwelcome.