: 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
Time to Value: Personalizing the Journey to Success Personalization isn't a new concept, but it's proven elusive in both consumer and B2B sales.
—Maribel Lopez, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
With more solid evidence — or perhaps a less elusive subject — Freedman could have turned that prose into a book that lives up to its title.
—Andrew Demillo, Boston Herald, 15 June 2025
That success sparked the desire to do a sequel, but the premise of a second fictional but science-based pandemic, coming after the audience had experienced a real one, had been elusive to Burns and Soderbergh.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 13 June 2025
Better measurements of the universe help to refine our understanding of dark matter and neutrinos, abundant but elusive particles that fill the universe.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for elusive
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Maribel Lopez, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
With more solid evidence — or perhaps a less elusive subject — Freedman could have turned that prose into a book that lives up to its title.
—Andrew Demillo, Boston Herald, 15 June 2025
That success sparked the desire to do a sequel, but the premise of a second fictional but science-based pandemic, coming after the audience had experienced a real one, had been elusive to Burns and Soderbergh.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 13 June 2025
Better measurements of the universe help to refine our understanding of dark matter and neutrinos, abundant but elusive particles that fill the universe.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for elusive
Cite this Entry
“Elusive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elusive. Accessed 29 Jun. 2025.
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