Definitions

elusive

[ih-loo-siv] / ɪˈlu sɪv /

ADJECTIVE

evasive, mysterious

Synonyms

STRONGEST

ambiguous fleeting illusory incomprehensible puzzling slippery subtle tricky volatile

WEAK

baffling cagey deceitful deceptive difficult to catch elusory equivocal evanescent fallacious fraudulent fugacious fugitive greasy imponderable indefinable insubstantial intangible misleading occult phantom shifty shy stonewalling transient transitory unspecific

Antonyms

STRONGEST

definite honest intelligible stable understandable

WEAK

attracting confronting encountering enticing facing inviting

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Elusive Waugh was eventually caught in Spain in September 2024, hiding in a villa in Benahavis, Malaga.

From BBC • Apr. 26, 2025

Elusive stars began to emerge, dappling the stretches of sky that often look empty between streaks of red and green aircraft lights and astronomical divas like the North Star or Big Dipper.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 28, 2023

Elusive to begin with, her land pieces were mostly forgotten until the Brooklyn Museum show flagged off the rediscovery of her oeuvre.

From New York Times • Jul. 29, 2023

Elusive, childlike and literally untouchable, Trelia seems more a creature of faerie than a human being.

From Washington Post • Dec. 8, 2022

Elusive as they are, they are the only weapon the Scholars have.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

Vocabulary lists containing elusive

List 2

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The Hunger Games

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The Things They Carried

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