elusive

C1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ɪˈl(j)u.sɪv/ UK /ɪˈl(j)uː.sɪv/ See IPA manual

Freq #13405

Meanings

1

adj
Difficult to find, catch, or achieve.

A lasting peace agreement remained elusive.
2

adj
Hard to understand, describe, or remember precisely.

The perfume had a faint, elusive scent she couldn't quite name.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 adj · hard to understand,... subtle

More elusory

Word family

Forms elusively

Derived forms elusivelyelusivenessunelusive

Related forms elude

Etymology

From Latin elusus, past participle of eludo (“to parry a blow, to deceive”).

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

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