ISEE/SSAT Vocabulary BuilderWordsEelusive
ISEE/SSATmedium
elusive
Meaning: difficult to find, catch, or achieve
elusive in a sentence
How elusive is used in real sentences:
The rare butterfly proved elusive despite hours of searching through the meadow.
Despite years of research funding, a complete explanation for the phenomenon remained elusive to scientists around the world.
“Perhaps the handwriting could make that elusive past visible.”
— from the passage The Slanted Signature
Synonyms for elusive
Other words for elusive — evasive and slippery — carry the same meaning.
- evasive
- slippery
Antonyms of elusive
Words that mean the opposite of elusive:
- obvious
- obtainable
Where it comes from
From Latin eludere 'to elude, escape by trick'
Memory hook
ELUSIVE — it always ELUDES your grasp, slipping away each time.