elusive
See also: élusive
English
editEtymology
editFrom Latin elusus past participle of eludo (“to parry a blow, to deceive”).
Pronunciation
edit- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ɪˈl(j)uː.sɪv/, /iˈl(j)uː.sɪv/
- (US) IPA(key): /ɪˈl(j)u.sɪv/, /iˈl(j)u.sɪv/
- (General Australian) IPA(key): /ɪˈlʉ.sɪv/, /əˈlʉ.sɪv/
- Homophone: illusive
Adjective
editelusive (comparative more elusive, superlative most elusive)
- Evading capture, comprehension or remembrance.
- The elusive criminal was arrested
- 2002, Meshuggah, Closed Eye Visuals:
- The temporary elusive goal / To reach the solace, to feed once more upon the synthetic reaper of loss / No matter the outcome, the cost
- Difficult to make precise.
- 2010, Robbins & Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease:
- A precise definition of diarrhea is elusive
- 1910, Jack London, chapter 6, in Lost Face[1], archived from the original on 14 April 2011:
- Charley chased the elusive idea through all the nooks and crannies of his drowning consciousness.
- Rarely seen.
- 2002, Scott Roederer, Birding: Rocky Mountain National Park, page 93:
- While you're sniffing the trunks of the ponderosas to see if they're butterscotch, vanilla, strawberry, or the elusive chocolate variety, watch for Brown Creepers, an elusive variety of bird.
Usage notes
editDo not confuse elusive (hard to find) with illusive (illusory).
Synonyms
editDerived terms
editRelated terms
editTranslations
editevading capture, comprehension or remembrance
|
difficult to describe
|
Italian
editPronunciation
editAdjective
editelusive
Categories:
- English terms derived from Latin
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- English terms with homophones
- English lemmas
- English adjectives
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- Italian 4-syllable words
- Italian terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:Italian/ive
- Rhymes:Italian/ive/4 syllables
- Italian non-lemma forms
- Italian adjective forms