First Known Use: 1719
Dictionary
elusive
adjective elu·sive \ē-ˈlü-siv, -ˈlü-ziv\
: hard to find or capture
: hard to understand, define, or remember
Full Definition of ELUSIVE
: tending to elude: as a : tending to evade grasp or pursuit <elusive prey> b : hard to comprehend or define c : hard to isolate or identify
— elu·sive·ly adverb
— elu·sive·ness noun
See elusive defined for English-language learners
See elusive defined for kids
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Examples of ELUSIVE
- But for all their influence, D.C. lobbyists have failed to attain one elusive goal: public respect. —Franklin Foer, New Republic, 25 Mar. 2002
- In truth, the ideal of wholly disinterested scholarship—in any field of research—will probably remain an elusive one. —Henry Louis Gates, Jr., New York Times, 4 Apr. 1998
- His meanings have been known to be elusive, which is why he appeals to pop cryptographers. —Sarah Vowell, GQ, November 1998
- This boson is so central to the state of physics today, so crucial to our final understanding of the structure of matter, yet so elusive, that I have given it a nickname: the God Particle. —Leon Lederman et al., The God Particle, 1993
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Origin of ELUSIVE
(see elusion)
ELUSIVE Defined for Kids
elusive
adjective elu·sive \i-ˈlü-siv\
Definition of ELUSIVE for Kids
1
: hard to find or capture <elusive treasure> <an elusive thief>
2
: hard to understand or define <an elusive idea>
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