pursuit vs avocation

pursuit and avocation both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
pursuit	Yes	No	No	No
avocation	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, avocation is a hyponym of pursuit; that is, avocation is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than pursuit:

pursuit: a diversion that occupies one's time and thoughts (usually pleasantly)
avocation: an auxiliary activity

Other hyponyms of pursuit include by-line, hobby, pursuit, sideline, spare-time activity.

As nouns, pursuit and avocation are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of pursuit include by-line, hobby, sideline, spare-time activity.

pursuit (noun)	avocation (noun)
the act of pursuing in an effort to overtake or capture	an auxiliary activity
a diversion that occupies one's time and thoughts (usually pleasantly)
an auxiliary activity
a search for an alternative that meets cognitive criteria