evasive

[ ih-vey-siv ]

/ ɪˈveɪ sɪv /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR evasive ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

tending or seeking to evade; characterized by evasion: an evasive answer.

elusive or evanescent.

Nearby words

Origin of evasive

First recorded in 1715–25; evas(ion) + -ive

Related forms

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

non·e·va·sive·ness, nounun·e·va·sive, adjectiveun·e·va·sive·ly, adverbun·e·va·sive·ness, noun

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

Examples from the Web for evasiveness

Some on the American right, however, exhibit none of Obama's evasiveness.
Neocon Scholar: Keep Bloodying The Brotherhood|Ali Gharib|August 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
His evasiveness has fueled Internet speculation that Rumsfeld may indeed be a lizard.
‘Rumsfeld’s Rules’ Review: Good Rules, Shame He Didn’t Follow Them|Dean Obeidallah|May 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The responses were telling in their casuistry, their amorality, their evasiveness.
The Hearing From Hell|Tunku Varadarajan|April 27, 2010|DAILY BEAST
After years of evasiveness by the GOP, finally some frank talk about deficits from Obama and even from Hillary in China.
Finally Some Straight Talk on the Deficit|Peter Beinart|February 23, 2009|DAILY BEAST

She had no penchant for evasiveness, and coquetry was apart from her; she spoke words that her heart brimmed to her lips.
The Eddy|Clarence L. Cullen
His companion glanced down at him sharply, but in his tranquil and half-somnolent face there was no trace of evasiveness.
Short Stories of Various Types|Various
Parker's manner had been evasive from the first, but at this the evasiveness became a highly concentrated unconcern.
Stories of the Foot-hills|Margaret Collier Graham
The demand for repayment, and with something of evasiveness or reticence in the old fellow's manner, greatly troubled Dale.
The Devil's Garden|W. B. Maxwell
She presently did so, while Morris looked at him, smiling, without a sign of evasiveness in his affable eye.
Washington Square|Henry James

British Dictionary definitions for evasiveness

evasive

/ (ɪˈveɪsɪv) /

adjective

tending or seeking to evade; avoiding the issue; not straightforward

avoiding or seeking to avoid trouble or difficultiesto take evasive action

hard to catch or obtain; elusive

Derived Formsevasively, adverbevasiveness, noun

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 evasiveness

evasive

adj.

1725, from French évasif, from Latin evas-, past participle stem of evadere (see evasion). Related: Evasively; evasiveness.

evasive

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of evasive

Examples from the Web for evasiveness

British Dictionary definitions for evasiveness

evasive

adjective

Word Origin and History for evasiveness

evasive