elusive

[ ih-loo-siv ]

/ ɪˈlu sɪv /

SEE MORE 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.

Nearby words

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

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 MORE SYNONYMS FOR elusive ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

e·lu·sive·ly, adverbe·lu·sive·ness, nounnon·e·lu·sive, adjectivenon·e·lu·sive·ly, adverb

non·e·lu·sive·ness, nounun·e·lu·sive, adjectiveun·e·lu·sive·ly, adverbun·e·lu·sive·ness, nounun·e·lu·so·ry, adjective

Can be confused

elusive illusory

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for elusiveness

Of course, the innate watchability of these socialites is matched only by their elusiveness.
The Surreal Genius of Bravo’s Rich Kids Docudrama ‘NYC Prep’|Amy Zimmerman|April 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One of the defining aspects of the uprising is its elusiveness.
Blindsided in Brazil|Mac Margolis|June 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The elusiveness at Obama's core, which once served him so well, has turned back on itself, arousing suspicions.
The Inescapable President|Eric Dezenhall|September 18, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Continuing, I further questioned my friend, and he told me some astounding stories of Jeanjean's elusiveness.
The Place of Dragons|William Le Queux

First, the sense of her elusiveness; then the dim resentment and fear which this knowledge of mystery awakes in her.
Browning's Heroines|Ethel Colburn Mayne
It is an attractive plant with an elusiveness of habit which serves, perhaps, to increase its charm.
How to Know the Ferns|Frances Theodora Parsons
The young curate of Ivell still held aloof, tantalizing Frances by his elusiveness.
Life's Little Ironies|Thomas Hardy
Now, be it remembered, I am only adducing this case in illustration of the elusiveness of Weismann's theory.
Darwin, and After Darwin, Volume II (of 3)|George John Romanes

British Dictionary definitions for elusiveness

elusive

/ (ɪˈluːsɪv) /

adjective

difficult to catchan elusive thief

preferring or living in solitude and anonymity

difficult to rememberan elusive thought

Derived Forms

elusively, adverbelusiveness, noun

xref

See illusory

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012