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elusive

 - 2 dictionary results

e⋅lu⋅sive

  [i-loo-siv]
Use elusive in a Sentence
–adjective
1. eluding clear perception or complete mental grasp; hard to express or define: an elusive concept.
2. cleverly or skillfully evasive: a fish too elusive to catch.
Also, e⋅lu⋅so⋅ry  [i-loo-suh-ree, -zuh-] .

Origin:
1710–20; elus(ion) + -ive

Related forms:
e⋅lu⋅sive⋅ly, adverb
e⋅lu⋅sive⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
2. tricky, slippery, shifty; puzzling, baffling.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To elusive
e·lu·sive   (ĭ-lōō'sĭv, -zĭv)   
adj.  

  1. Tending to elude capture, perception, comprehension, or memory: "an invisible cabal of conspirators, each more elusive than the archterrorist [himself]" (David Kline).

  2. Difficult to define or describe: "Failures are more finely etched in our minds than triumphs, and success is an elusive, if not mythic, goal in our demanding society" (Hugh Drummond).


[From Latin ēlūsus, past participle of ēlūdere, to elude; see elude.]
e·lu'sive·ly adv., e·lu'sive·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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