evasive

adjective

eva·​sive i-ˈvā-siv 

-ziv,

ē-

: tending or intended to evade : equivocal

evasive answers

evasively adverb

evasiveness noun

Synonyms

• elusive

Examples of evasive in a Sentence

She gave an evasive answer.

They took evasive action to avoid capture.

Recent Examples on the Web

Once deployed, the system rapidly determines where to search, how to configure its sensors, and how to respond when a submarine attempts evasive maneuvers such as zigzagging, going silent, or deploying decoys, the South China Morning Post reports. —Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 14 Sep. 2025

All of this resulted in Car 63 having to brake heavily and take evasive action. —Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025

Mizuhara, however, had become increasingly evasive, going dark for weeks at a time. —David Amsden, Rolling Stone, 29 Aug. 2025

Trumpian doublespeak is always evasive, even when accurate. —Chris Brennan, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1637, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

evasive

adjective

eva·​sive i-ˈvā-siv 

-ziv

: tending or meant to evade

gave an evasive answer

evasively adverb

evasiveness noun

Legal Definition

evasive

adjective

eva·​sive i-ˈvā-siv, -ziv 

: tending or intending to evade

Note: Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 37(a)(4), an evasive or incomplete answer to an interrogatory or to a question at a deposition is treated as a failure to answer and may be subject to an opponent's motion to compel an answer.

evasively adverb

evasiveness noun