avoid vs abstain

avoid and abstain both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
avoid	No	No	Yes	No
abstain	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, abstain is a hypernym of avoid; that is, abstain is a word with a broader meaning than avoid:

Other hypernyms of avoid include desist, refrain.

avoid (verb)	abstain (verb)
stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something	choose not to consume
refrain from certain foods or beverages	refrain from voting
declare invalid
prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening; to protect from or to keep away anything undesirable; to ward off
refrain from doing something