as in slippery
hard to find, capture, or isolate
the giant squid is one of the ocean's most elusive inhabitants
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of elusive
But a permanent settlement remains elusive in the war that has killed thousands of people.
—
Samy Magdy, Fortune, 27 Apr. 2026
That’s manifest fabulously well here by Cedric and Santiago-Hudson, with Boyd and Wureh exploring the fate of young women adrift in this landscape and relying on men for an anchor, a rooting that too often proved elusive.
—Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2026
The truth in this story seems to be elusive and unknowable, and this circles back to your earlier question about what kind of assumptions are made about people with names like Saïd or Tamerlan.
—Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2026
Moviegoers over the age of 55 rarely turn out for opening weekend; teenagers can be just as elusive.
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for elusive
Samy Magdy, Fortune, 27 Apr. 2026
That’s manifest fabulously well here by Cedric and Santiago-Hudson, with Boyd and Wureh exploring the fate of young women adrift in this landscape and relying on men for an anchor, a rooting that too often proved elusive.
—Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 26 Apr. 2026
The truth in this story seems to be elusive and unknowable, and this circles back to your earlier question about what kind of assumptions are made about people with names like Saïd or Tamerlan.
—Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2026
Moviegoers over the age of 55 rarely turn out for opening weekend; teenagers can be just as elusive.
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for elusive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elusive
Adjective
-
Higgins is also very slippery after the catch, playing with the balance of a basketball player.—
Sam Warren,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The course itself was a slippery expanse of blue ice and snow, requiring glacier glasses to combat the blinding UV reflection.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Yet transforming lived experience from transient memory into actionable data introduces profound friction.—
Celina Yong,
STAT,
16 Apr. 2026
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But some officials, like Miami Beach Commissioner Alex Fernandez, say these short-term rental buildings come with some of the same problems as traditional Airbnbs, like driving up rents for nearby residences and contributing to a more transient feeling in a neighborhood.—
Catherine Odom,
Miami Herald,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Two Southwest Airlines jets recently had to take evasive action at Nashville International Airport after collision alarms sounded in the cockpit.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
21 Apr. 2026
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Both planes' Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems ordered the pilots to take evasive maneuvers.—
Kris Van Cleave,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elusive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elusive. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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