DEFINITIONS

elusive

[ ih-loo-siv ]
/ ɪˈlu sɪv /
SEE 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.

Words related to elusive

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

Words nearby elusive

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

OTHER WORDS FROM elusive

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH elusive

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

British Dictionary definitions for elusory (1 of 2)

elusory
/ (ɪˈluːsərɪ) /

adjective

avoiding the issue; evasiveelusory arguments
difficult to grasp mentally; elusiveelusory ideas

British Dictionary definitions for elusory (2 of 2)

elusive
/ (ɪˈluːsɪv) /

adjective

difficult to catchan elusive thief
preferring or living in solitude and anonymity
difficult to rememberan elusive thought

Derived forms of elusive

elusively, adverbelusiveness, noun

undefined elusive

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