fugitive

C2+ Topic:People & Society

US /ˈfjuːdʒɪtɪv/ UK /ˈfjuːdʒɪtɪv/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a person who flees, especially from the law; fleeting

The fugitive was captured two states away.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a person who flees,... runawayescapeerefugeeabsconderdeserter fleeting transient elusive

Opposites

permanent lasting captured enduring

Word family

Derived forms fugitivelyfugitiveness

Related forms fugacious refuge subterfuge centrifugal

Simplified etymology

Fugitive, recorded in late Middle English, ultimately belongs to the word family of Latin fugere “to flee.” The same Latin root is represented in refuge and refugee and is closely related to fugare “drive away.”

Etymology

From Old French fugitif, from Latin fugitivus ('fleeing, runaway'), from fugere ('to flee').

fugitÄ«vus Latin fugere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

People & Society Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# fugitive

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈfjuːdʒɪtɪv/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈfjuːdʒɪtɪv/

## Meanings
1. a person who flees, especially from the law; fleeting

## Examples
- The fugitive was captured two states away.

## Synonyms
- runaway
- escapee
- refugee
- absconder
- deserter
- fleeting
- transient
- elusive

## Antonyms
- permanent
- lasting
- captured
- enduring

## Derived Forms
- fugitively
- fugitiveness

## Related Forms
- fugacious
- refuge
- subterfuge
- centrifugal

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: fugitÄ«vus
- Root: fugere

## Etymology
From Old French fugitif, from Latin fugitivus ('fleeing, runaway'), from fugere ('to flee').

## AI Etymology
Fugitive comes from Old French fugitif, from Latin fugitivus ('fleeing, runaway'), from fugere ('to flee'). The form is best read as a historical transfer or inheritance, with its older language material carrying the main semantic load. As a noun and adjective, it denotes "a person who flees, especially from the law; fleeting", keeping the historical idea close to its dictionary sense. Relevant historical forms include Latin fugitÄ«vus and Latin fugere. Derivative forms include fugitively, fugitiveness; related words include fugacious, refuge, subterfuge, centrifugal.

## Topics
- People & Society
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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