: tending to elude: such as
a
: tending to evade grasp or pursuit
elusive prey
b
: hard to comprehend or define
c
: hard to isolate or identify
elusively
adverb
elusiveness
noun
Examples of elusive in a Sentence
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
The truth may prove elusive.
the giant squid is one of the ocean's most elusive inhabitants
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
The truth may prove elusive.
the giant squid is one of the ocean's most elusive inhabitants
Recent Examples on the Web
While our understanding of the brain has (thankfully) developed greatly from the days of removing cerebral tissue to see what would happen, a precise understanding of where our memories reside—and how our brain recalls past experience—remains elusive.
—Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 6 Nov. 2024
Instead, the video communicates his power through the awe of crowds and dignitaries; the cosmic draw of the man himself remains elusive to the uninitiated viewer.
—Joseph Bien-Kahn, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2024
Resolving each one revealed clues as to the location of a very special prize that remained elusive for decades.
—Martin Lerma, Robb Report, 2 Nov. 2024
The ocelot, endangered and elusive, primarily inhabits the Rio Grande Valley with only a few populations in Texas.
—Tom Howarth
follow, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for elusive 
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Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 6 Nov. 2024
Instead, the video communicates his power through the awe of crowds and dignitaries; the cosmic draw of the man himself remains elusive to the uninitiated viewer.
—Joseph Bien-Kahn, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2024
Resolving each one revealed clues as to the location of a very special prize that remained elusive for decades.
—Martin Lerma, Robb Report, 2 Nov. 2024
The ocelot, endangered and elusive, primarily inhabits the Rio Grande Valley with only a few populations in Texas.
—Tom Howarth
follow, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for elusive
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Dictionary Entries Near elusive
Cite this Entry
“Elusive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elusive. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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