evasive

[ ih-vey-siv ]

adjective

1. tending or seeking to evade; characterized by evasion:

   an evasive answer.

2. elusive or evanescent.

evasive

/ ɪˈveɪsɪv /

adjective

1. tending or seeking to evade; avoiding the issue; not straightforward
2. avoiding or seeking to avoid trouble or difficulties

   to take evasive action

3. hard to catch or obtain; elusive

Derived Forms

• eˈvasiveness, noun
• eˈvasively, adverb

Other Words From

• e·vasive·ly adverb
• e·vasive·ness noun
• none·vasive adjective
• none·vasive·ly adverb
• none·vasive·ness noun
• une·vasive adjective
• une·vasive·ly adverb
• une·vasive·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of evasive¹

First recorded in 1715–25; evas(ion) + -ive

Example Sentences

I generally do not bother the officers because they do not usually answer my questions and only offer me evasive answers and lies.

From Washington Blade

Some make the virus more evasive when faced with antibodies and other immune system cells.

From Washington Post

PFAS have been evasive, found in everyday products like drinking water, and now, even amid growing calls for cleaner and safer beauty products, scientists have found them in makeup.

From Popular-Science

Whenever I asked questions about me, or them, or Germany—or whatever, they were extremely evasive and even as a kid my intuition indicated that something just was not right about that.

From The Daily Beast

Derkach has always denied this, and he grew evasive when I pressed about his ties to Moscow.

From TIme

The law caught up with him; he was unwisely evasive about exactly which drugs he sold.

From The Daily Beast

He did not however say that Putin lied, but rather that the Russian president's response was "suspiciously narrow" and evasive.

From The Daily Beast

I've never seen London Mayor Boris Johnson look so awkward, evasive, and non-credible as in this BBC interview.

From The Daily Beast

Newton escaped the world through nuttiness, Darwin through elaborate evasive courtesies and by farming out the politics to Huxley.

From The Daily Beast

The rhetoric was mostly as empty of substance and evasive on details as a Paul Ryan budget.

From The Daily Beast

With his evasive singularity was mingled a certain exotic odour like the distant perfume of a country well loved of the sun.

From Project Gutenberg

The weaknesses of Fieldas revealed in his two independent comedieswere of a nature more evasive, less capable of definition.

From Project Gutenberg

This time the monk was caught; but, in accordance with the habit of his brethren, his answer was as it was meant to be, evasive.

From Project Gutenberg

Nevertheless, mystified as he was, he concealed the details of their trip under an evasive answer when he returned to his room.

From Project Gutenberg

To our questions they returned evasive answers or were silent, and finally asked by what authority we had overhauled them.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• ambiguous
• cagey
• deceptive
• false
• misleading
• unclear
• vague