1.
keeping at arm's length, avoidance
Showing respect on the surface but keeping one's distance. Avoiding a person or thing that is difficult, unpleasant, or troublesome.
上司に敬遠されている。
I am being kept at arm's length by my boss.
あの店は値段が高くて敬遠されがちだ。
That shop tends to be avoided because it's expensive.
若者に敬遠されていた伝統芸能が見直されている。
Traditional performing arts, once shunned by young people, are being reevaluated.
2.
intentional walk (baseball)
In baseball, intentionally walking a batter by pitching four balls outside the strike zone to avoid letting a strong hitter swing.
四番バッターを敬遠した。
They intentionally walked the cleanup hitter.
ランナーが三塁にいたので敬遠策をとった。
Since there was a runner on third, they opted for an intentional walk.
敬遠で満塁にしたのが裏目に出て、次のバッターに打たれた。
The intentional walk that loaded the bases backfired when the next batter got a hit.
ETYMOLOGY:
From the Analerta of Confucius: 鬼神を敬いてこれを遠ざく — "Respect the spirits but keep them at a distance." The literal sense of "respecting from afar" evolved into the modern meaning of politely avoiding.
USAGE:
Sense 1 is the general meaning, used when someone or something is avoided — not out of rudeness but from a desire to keep distance. Sense 2 is a well-known baseball term.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 敬遠する: to keep at arm's length, to avoid
- 敬遠されがち: tends to be avoided
- 敬遠気味: somewhat avoided