u/Standard_Tank6703

This is for those already running Cinnamon or another DE, but NOT Gnome, on Debian or a derivative, including Ubuntu and Linux Mint. For further insurance against "getting gnomed".

I'm a bit surprised there isn't something like this floating around already, considering the simplicity.

(1) Create a new blank text file:

/etc/apt/preferences.d/nognome.pref

(2) Copy and paste the contents of this into that blank file:

# To prevent repository packages from triggering the installation of Gnome,
# this file forbids gnome from being installed by APT.
# For more information: https://linuxmint-user-guide.readthedocs.io/en/latest/snap.html

Package: gnome
Pin: release a=*
Pin-Priority: -10

Package: gnome-core
Pin: release a=*
Pin-Priority: -10

You are welcome.

To undo, just delete that file.