elusive

[ih-loo-siv]

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.

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

Related formse·lu·sive·ly, adverbe·lu·sive·ness, nounnon·e·lu·sive, adjectivenon·e·lu·sive·ly, adverbnon·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 confusedelusive illusory

Synonyms for elusive

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR elusive ON THESAURUS.COM

2. tricky, slippery, shifty; puzzling, baffling.

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

Related Words for elusory

tricky, ambiguous, volatile, fleeting, puzzling, illusory, slippery, subtle, incomprehensible, unclear, deceptive, misleading, cagey, vague, false, baffling, deceitful, equivocal, evanescent, fallacious

British Dictionary definitions for elusory

elusory

adjective

avoiding the issue; evasiveelusory arguments

difficult to grasp mentally; elusiveelusory ideas

elusive

adjective

difficult to catchan elusive thief

preferring or living in solitude and anonymity

difficult to rememberan elusive thought

Derived Formselusively, 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

Word Origin and History for elusory

elusive

adj.

1719, from Latin elus-, past participle stem of eludere (see elude) + -ive. Related: Elusiveness.