fugitive

[fyoo-ji-tiv]

noun

1. a person who is fleeing, as from prosecution, intolerable circumstances, etc.; a runaway.

   a fugitive from justice;

   a fugitive from a dictatorial regime.

adjective

1. having taken flight, or run away.

   The Fugitive Slave Act was part of the Compromise of 1850 that led the United States even closer to civil war.

2. fleeting; transitory; elusive.

   fugitive thoughts that could not be formulated.

   Synonyms: temporary, brief, flying, passing, transient
   Antonyms: permanent

3. Fine Arts.,  changing color as a result of exposure to light and chemical substances present in the atmosphere, in other pigments, or in the medium.

4. dealing with subjects of passing interest, as writings; ephemeral.

   fugitive essays.

   Synonyms: light, trivial, evanescent, momentary
   Antonyms: lasting

5. wandering, roving, or vagabond.

   a fugitive carnival.

fugitive

/ ˈfjuːdʒɪtɪv /

noun

1. a person who flees

2. a thing that is elusive or fleeting

adjective

1. fleeing, esp from arrest or pursuit

2. not permanent; fleeting; transient

3. moving or roving about

Other Word Forms

• fugitiveness noun
• fugitively adverb
• fugitivity noun
• nonfugitive adjective
• nonfugitively adverb
• nonfugitiveness noun
• unfugitive adjective
• unfugitively adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of fugitive¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Latin fugitīvus “fleeing,” equivalent to fugit(us) (past participle of fugere “to flee”) + -īvus adjective suffix ( -ive ); replacing Middle English fugitif, from Old French

Word History and Origins

Origin of fugitive¹

C14: from Latin fugitīvus fleeing away, from fugere to take flight, run away

Example Sentences

“I argue it was the fugitive crisis, more than the territorial crisis, that drove the coming of the Civil War,” Pinsker said.

From Los Angeles Times

California passed a fugitive slave law — rare among free states — in 1852 that allowed slaveholders to use violence to capture enslaved people who had fled to the Golden State.

From Los Angeles Times

Despite those efforts, and years of manhunts, he remains a fugitive.

From BBC

Phillips' case has gripped New Zealand since the day he became a fugitive nearly four years ago, and although Monday's events suggest the mystery has drawn to a close, police are still looking for answers.

From BBC

Daniel Andreas San Diego, 47, was one of the agency's "most wanted fugitives" after bombings in San Francisco, California, in 2003.

From BBC

Related Words

• deserter 
• escapee 
• exile 
• outcast 
• outlaw 
• refugee