elusive
Americanadjective
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eluding or failing to allow for or accommodate a clear perception or complete mental grasp; hard to express or define.
an elusive concept.
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cleverly or skillfully evasive.
a fish too elusive to catch.
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difficult to find.
hoping that elusive donors will finally contribute.
adjective
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difficult to catch
an elusive thief
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preferring or living in solitude and anonymity
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difficult to remember
an elusive thought
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of elusive
Compare meaning
How does elusive compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Things that are elusive are hard to find, pin down, or remember. They slip right out of your grasp. Ever try to catch a mouse? It's not easy, because mice are quick and elusive — they're tough to catch. Rabbits are speedy, so they're elusive too. Also, things that are tough to understand or describe are elusive — like the concepts of love and beauty. If you had an idea and then forgot it, the idea is elusive: it slipped away. Anything you can't get hold of, with your hands or with your brain, is elusive.
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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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.
That rare broadside is displayed alongside a more obscure document: the so-called Declaration of Dependence signed by 547 Loyalists, a reminder that political unanimity was elusive from the nation’s earliest days.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026
The day’s lesson tackled “style,” that elusive, ultra-subjective choice of expression.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 1, 2026
Djokovic, meanwhile, is only a week younger than 39-year-old Murray yet is still chasing that elusive record 25th Grand Slam title.
From BBC • Jun. 28, 2026
Two years ago, Jolie portrayed a version of the elusive, emotionally closed-off opera singer Maria Callas in “Maria.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2026
Surprising numbers of them seemed to want to see something historic here—that elusive sweep of the Hudson—even if it was a western crew that accomplished the feat.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
