See more synonyms for elusive on Thesaurus.com- 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-/.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
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- avoiding the issue; evasiveelusory arguments
- difficult to grasp mentally; elusiveelusory ideas
- difficult to catchan elusive thief
- preferring or living in solitude and anonymity
- difficult to rememberan elusive thought
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 elusoryadj.1719, from Latin elus-, past participle stem of eludere (see elude) + -ive. Related: Elusiveness.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
