Meaning & use

elusive

adjective·Academic

Difficult to find, catch, achieve, or fully understand, despite repeated attempts.

See it in a sentence

Lasting peace between the two nations remained elusive despite years of negotiation.

The elusive snow leopard is rarely photographed in the wild.

A note on using this word

Elusive often pairs with abstract nouns like 'peace,' 'success,' or 'answer,' not just physical things that are hard to catch.

Words with a similar meaning

evasivefleetingintangible

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

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