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.
A deal to fully open Hormuz remains elusive.
From MarketWatch • May 2, 2026
The eggs of an elusive bird were saved by firefighters during a "significant wildfire" as their nest was close to being lost in the blaze.
From BBC • May 1, 2026
Footwear stocks keep stubbing their toe, and a sustained recovery remains elusive.
From Barron's • May 1, 2026
While he recovered in the captured pueblo, Coronado sent scouting parties in search of the elusive Seven Cities.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026
This is the elusive “ear” of a skilled writer—the tacit sense of style which every honest stylebook, echoing Wilde, confesses cannot be explicitly taught.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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.
