elusive

From Latin elusus past participle of eludo (“to parry a blow, to deceive”).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪˈl(j)uː.sɪv/, /iˈl(j)uː.sɪv/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ɪˈl(j)u.sɪv/, /iˈl(j)u.sɪv/

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• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ɪˈlʉ.sɪv/, /əˈlʉ.sɪv/
• Homophone: illusive

elusive (comparative more elusive, superlative most elusive)

1. 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

2. 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, archived from the original on 14 April 2011:

     Charley chased the elusive idea through all the nooks and crannies of his drowning consciousness.

3. 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.

Do not confuse elusive (hard to find) with illusive (illusory).

• elusory

• elusively
• elusiveness

• elude

• IPA^(key): /e.luˈzi.ve/
• Rhymes: -ive
• Hyphenation: e‧lu‧sì‧ve

elusive

1. feminine plural of elusivo