"Refrain" feels like something to use about "verbal behaviour", whereas "avoid" feels like it's about something physical. Is it?
Learn English – Can “refrain” and “avoid” be used interchangeably for everything
differencesmeaningword-usage
differencesmeaningword-usage
"Refrain" feels like something to use about "verbal behaviour", whereas "avoid" feels like it's about something physical. Is it?
Best Answer
No, of course they are not interchangeable for everything. They are different words. Two different words are by definition not interchangeable for everything.
Beyond that, refrain from refers to not doing something. Avoiding something is not the same. Avoiding doing something is less strong/absolute than refraining from doing it.
You can avoid overeating, but still overeat sometimes. If you really do refrain from overeating then you do not overeat, period.
A better synonym for refrain from is abstain from, not avoid.