elusive

[ ih-loo-siv ]

/ ɪˈlu sɪv /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR elusive ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

eluding or failing to allow for or accommodate a clear perception or complete mental grasp; hard to express or define: an elusive concept.

cleverly or skillfully evasive: a fish too elusive to catch.

difficult to find: hoping that elusive donors will finally contribute.

Also e·lu·so·ry

[ih-loo-suh-ree, -zuh-] /ɪˈlu sə ri, -zə-/.

Origin of elusive

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

SYNONYMS FOR elusive

2 tricky, slippery, shifty; puzzling, baffling.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR elusive ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM elusive

e·lu·sive·ly, adverb e·lu·sive·ness, noun non·e·lu·sive, adjective non·e·lu·sive·ly, adverb

non·e·lu·sive·ness, noun un·e·lu·sive, adjective un·e·lu·sive·ly, adverb un·e·lu·sive·ness, noun un·e·lu·so·ry, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH elusive

elusive illusory

Words nearby elusive

elude, eluent, elul, elura, elusion, elusive, elusory, elute, elution, elutriate, elutriator

Example sentences from the Web for elusive

Huckabee will also need to establish a reliable fundraising base, something that up until now has proved to be elusive.

Can Huckabee Convert the GOP’s Moneymen? |Lloyd Green |January 4, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
As far as finally being acknowledged herself with that elusive Academy gold, well, Moore says she would not take it for granted.

Julianne Moore Is Oscar Gold in ‘Still Alice’ |Marlow Stern |December 24, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
There will be a lot of talk about “sustainable” development, but so far that has been elusive.

Goodbye, Bahamas. Hello, Havana! |Clive Irving |December 18, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
They are an elusive bunch, in motion or in the thrall of another time.

The Real-Life Raiders of the Lost Ark |Alex Belth |November 14, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

The convent, obviously, but also the court—and even her unrequited longing for the elusive lady of her sonnets.

Sor Juana: Mexico’s Most Erotic Poet and Its Most Dangerous Nun |Katie Baker |November 8, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The blaze, red and yellow, and with elusive purple gleams, leaped up the chimney.

His "Day In Court" |Charles Egbert Craddock (AKA Mary Noailles Murfree)
It is more truly sylvan than any other—sylvan in the old Greek sense, so elusive and shy it is, so mysterious.

In the Open |Stanton Davis Kirkham
The element of feeling is elusive and can best be taught by the influence of contagion.

Ontario Teachers' Manuals: Literature |Ontario Ministry of Education
An elusive intellectual law is written sure and large in the code of the Great Kingdom.

The Bible and Life |Edwin Holt Hughes
You tried to do so, and Claude has tried to do so during the last few days, but the man is as elusive as an eel.

The Crime Club |William Holt-White

British Dictionary definitions for elusive

elusive

/ (ɪˈluːsɪv) /

adjective

difficult to catch an elusive thief

preferring or living in solitude and anonymity

difficult to remember an elusive thought

Derived forms of elusive

elusively, adverb elusiveness, noun

undefined elusive

See illusory

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

elusive

adjective

Origin of elusive

SYNONYMS FOR elusive

OTHER WORDS FROM elusive

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH elusive

Words nearby elusive

Example sentences from the Web for elusive

British Dictionary definitions for elusive

adjective

Derived forms of elusive

undefined elusive

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

elusive

adjective

Origin of elusive

SYNONYMS FOR elusive

OTHER WORDS FROM elusive

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH elusive

Words nearby elusive

Words related to elusive

Example sentences from the Web for elusive

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for elusive

adjective

Derived forms of elusive

undefined elusive

British Dictionary definitions for elusive