Tell me more ×
English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 0 down vote favorite

Imagine that someone skips a step, with the hope that the audience will never know that it existed. I was thinking extends or circumvents. I'm not sure if these words are on the nose; I am looking for a word that really shows intent to conceal.

Here's a sample sentence:

Any plan of action that ______ preservation of human life is, at its core, flawed.

share|improve this question
1  
wilfully neglects? – ShreevatsaR Oct 23 '11 at 4:35

4 Answers

up vote 4 down vote

I think eschew would fit well in these circumstances.

share|improve this answer
up vote 2 down vote

I feel like there is a perfect term lurking at the edge of my memory, but all I'm coming up with immediately is "Ignore" in the sense of pretending that something does not exist.

"Gloss Over" is a bit better, and plain old "Overlook" is another possibility.

share|improve this answer
That's how I feel, also, Mickeyf. There's this theory about tip-of-the-tongue memory, that it's a weakening of the connection between the sound of a word and the meaning of the word? I think it's actually a strengthening because a) we're trying, and b) it often happens to me when I'm trying to put a word into a new context. – Wolfpack'08 Oct 23 '11 at 4:19
Maybe obliviate or omit. Circumvent sounds strongest. – Wolfpack'08 Oct 23 '11 at 4:27
+1 for "gloss over". – ShreevatsaR Oct 24 '11 at 4:50
up vote 1 down vote

While it doesn't quite work (gracefully) in your sample sentence, elide is a word that describes the kind of action you mention in your opening sentence.

From my Merriam-Webster thesaurus:

Entry Word: elide Function: verb Text: Synonyms NEGLECT, discount, disregard, fail, forget, ignore, omit, overlook, pass, slight

share|improve this answer
Interesting. Apparently an elide is also an omission of a sound from a word. For example, "com-fOr-tA-ble" -> "com-fter-ble". – Wolfpack'08 Oct 23 '11 at 8:22
I'm not certain that elide is the word. I have to consider the specific context, actually. As far as I can see, eliding implies a covert slurring together of ideas, resulting in a loaded fact. I'm thinking of con men. They sell salvation, implying that their victims' current situation is hopeless. They ask people to believe, but they conceal/'elide' the method by which they will bring the salvation. An excluded method is at the heart of a convincing lie, and when a con man's method comes out, people become defensive and often give things away. If so, do con men elide their methods? – Wolfpack'08 Oct 23 '11 at 8:37
1  
Straying off topic, but the Moist Lipwig books ("Going Postal", "Making Money") in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series have some insightful discussions of the heart of the mechanism by which people are conned. – mickeyf Oct 23 '11 at 9:59
Cool. :D Thank you very much. – Wolfpack'08 Oct 23 '11 at 10:55
up vote 1 down vote

To obscure is to conceal, to make unclear or indistinct. The act of obscuring is an intention to hide or make less visible. However, in the context of your sentence the word disregards is perhaps more appropriate although it doesn't retain the intent of concealing.

share|improve this answer

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.