elusive
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elusive
hard to express or define: an elusive concept; tricky, slippery; baffling; shifty: an elusive felon
elusive
hard to express: an elusive concept; cleverly evasive: an elusive con man; tricky, slippery, shifty, baffling
Not to be confused with:
illusive – deceptive, misleading; of the nature of an illusion; unreal; false; imaginary; fancied: an illusive appearance of the deceased during a séance.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
e·lu·sive
(ĭ-lo͞o′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.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
elusive
(ɪˈluːsɪv)adj
1. difficult to catch: an elusive thief.
2. preferring or living in solitude and anonymity
3. difficult to remember: an elusive thought.
eˈlusively adv
eˈlusiveness n
Usage: See at illusory
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
e•lu•sive
(ɪˈlu sɪv)also e•lu•so•ry
(-sə ri, -zə-)adj.
1. eluding one's clear perception; hard to express or define.
2. skillfully evasive.
e•lu′sive•ly, adv.
e•lu′sive•ness, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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Adj. | 1. | elusive - difficult to describe; "a haunting elusive odor" unidentifiable - impossible to identify |
2. | elusive - skillful at eluding capture; "a cabal of conspirators, each more elusive than the archterrorist"- David Kline artful - marked by skill in achieving a desired end especially with cunning or craft; "the artful dodger"; "an artful choice of metaphors" | |
3. | elusive - difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze; "his whole attitude had undergone a subtle change"; "a subtle difference"; "that elusive thing the soul" impalpable - imperceptible to the senses or the mind; "an impalpable cloud"; "impalpable shadows"; "impalpable distinctions"; "as impalpable as a dream" | |
4. | elusive - making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe; "a baffling problem"; "I faced the knotty problem of what to have for breakfast"; "a problematic situation at home" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
elusive
adjective
1. difficult to catch, tricky, slippery, difficult to find, evasive, shifty I had no luck in tracking down this elusive man.
2. indefinable, puzzling, fleeting, subtle, baffling, indefinite, transient, intangible, indescribable, transitory, indistinct an attempt to recapture an elusive memory
3. evasive, puzzling, misleading, baffling, ambiguous, fraudulent, deceptive, illusory, equivocal, fallacious, unspecific, oracular, elusory an elusive answer
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
elusive
adjectiveThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
ebamääranepuiklik
nehezen megfogható
evaziv
nepolapiteľný
ele geçmezkaypak
elusive
[ɪˈluːsɪv] ADJ [prey, enemy] → esquivo, escurridizo; [thoughts, word] → inaprensible; [success] → esquivo, difícil de conseguirhe is very elusive → no es fácil encontrarlo
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
elusive
[ɪˈluːsɪv] adj [person, animal] → insaisissable
[quality, happiness, success] → insaisissable; [win, title, goal, prize] → hors d'atteinte; [solution, answer] → difficile à trouver
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
elusive
adj
truth → schwer fassbar; goal, target, success → schwer erreichbar; (= unattainable) → unerreichbar; happiness seems to be an elusive state for some people → Glück scheint für manche Menschen ein unerreichbarer Zustand zu sein; there was an elusive quality about Robert → Robert hatte etwas schwer Fassbares an sich (dat); financial success proved elusive → der finanzielle Erfolg wollte sich nicht einstellen; his answer to my question was elusive → er antwortete mir ausweichend
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
elusive
[ɪˈluːsɪv] adj (prey, enemy) → inafferrabile; (thoughts, word, success) → che sfugge; (glance) → sfuggevolehe is very elusive → è proprio inafferrabile
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
elude
(iˈluːd) verb1. to escape or avoid by quickness or cleverness. He eluded his pursuers.
2. to be too difficult etc for (a person) to understand or remember. The meaning of this poem eludes me.
eˈlusive (-siv) adjective escaping or vanishing, often or cleverly. an elusive criminal.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.