Évitant

Évitant is a French present participle formed from the verb éviter, meaning “to avoid.” It functions both as a participle and, when used as an adjective, as an attribute describing avoidance-related qualities.

As a present participle, évitant appears in constructions such as en évitant, which express simultaneous action, for example en évitant les pièges (by avoiding the traps). As an adjective, it agrees with the noun in gender and number: masculin sing. évitant; feminine sing. évitante; masculine plur. évitants; feminine plur. évitantes. Common noun phrases include un comportement évitant (avoidant behavior), un individu évitant (an avoidant individual), and une attitude évitante (an avoidant attitude).

Usage and meaning: évitant denotes a tendency or behavior oriented toward avoidance. In general French, it is used to describe persons or behaviors characterized by avoidance. In clinical or psychological contexts, it aligns with the English term “avoidant,” as in trouble de la personnalité évitante (avoidant personality disorder) in French psychiatry.

Etymology: évitant comes from the verb éviter, which derives from Latin evitare, meaning to avoid or ward off. The suffix -ant marks the present participle in French, and its feminine and plural forms reflect standard agreement patterns.

In translation and terminology, évitant corresponds to the English adjective avoidant. It is widely understood in both everyday French and specialized discourse when discussing avoidance tendencies, behaviors, or related psychological concepts.