evasive

[ ih-vey-siv ]

/ ɪˈveɪ sɪv /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR evasive ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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

elusive or evanescent.

Words nearby evasive

evaporite, evapotranspiration, evaristus, evarts, evasion, evasive, evatt, eve, eve's pudding, evection, evelyn

Origin of evasive

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

OTHER WORDS FROM evasive

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 forms of evasive

evasively, 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

evasive

adjective

Words related to evasive

Words nearby evasive

Origin of evasive

OTHER WORDS FROM evasive

Examples from the Web for evasiveness

British Dictionary definitions for evasiveness

adjective

Derived forms of evasive