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View synonyms for

elusive

Also ···

[ih-loo-siv]

adjective

  1. eluding or failing to allow for or accommodate a clear perception or complete mental grasp; hard to express or define.

    an elusive concept.

  2. cleverly or skillfully evasive.

    a fish too elusive to catch.

    Synonyms: , , , ,
  3. difficult to find.

    hoping that elusive donors will finally contribute.



elusive

/ ɪˈːɪ /

adjective

  1. difficult to catch

    an elusive thief

  2. preferring or living in solitude and anonymity

  3. difficult to remember

    an elusive thought

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • elusively adverb
  • elusiveness noun
  • nonelusive adjective
  • nonelusively adverb
  • nonelusiveness noun
  • unelusive adjective
  • unelusively adverb
  • unelusiveness noun
  • unelusory adjective
  • ˈܲ adverb
  • ˈܲԱ noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of elusive1

First recorded in 1710–20; elus(ion) + -ive
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

This would hardly be the first box that the famously elusive, self-mythologizing Dylan doesn’t quite fit.

From

That necessitates building partisan and international consensuses, which appear elusive in Trumpworld, in order to keep the project alive through changes in political control of the White House and Congress.

From

We went to Lesotho to find out more about this elusive man and to hear from those affected by the subterranean deaths.

From

PSG's colourful fans have been flooding into Munich for the biggest night in their history, anticipation heavy in the air that Luis Enrique's emerging side can at last cross that elusive final frontier.

From

“Hispandering” is a category of corny behavior exhibited by politicians in a desperate bid to hunt down that elusive cryptid known as “the Latino vote.”

From

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elusionelusory