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
Supporters of the potential of nuclear fusion are pushing California officials to shell out money for the, thus far elusive, energy source.
—
Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2025
An elusive rebalancing What the plan gives comparatively modest attention, however, is the lack of strong domestic demand.
—Shaoyu Yuan, The Conversation, 5 Nov. 2025
Her eyes transfix, but her elusive, fleeting smiles transmit no warmth.
—Deborah Unger, Scientific American, 5 Nov. 2025
As accountability for crimes against the press remains elusive, many governments are increasingly emboldened to target journalists reporting uncomfortable truths about conflict, political turmoil, corruption and organized crime.
—Scott Griffen, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elusive
Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2025
An elusive rebalancing What the plan gives comparatively modest attention, however, is the lack of strong domestic demand.
—Shaoyu Yuan, The Conversation, 5 Nov. 2025
Her eyes transfix, but her elusive, fleeting smiles transmit no warmth.
—Deborah Unger, Scientific American, 5 Nov. 2025
As accountability for crimes against the press remains elusive, many governments are increasingly emboldened to target journalists reporting uncomfortable truths about conflict, political turmoil, corruption and organized crime.
—Scott Griffen, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for elusive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elusive
Adjective
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All the better to emphasize Lawrence creating the sensation that someone’s grip on reality getting mighty slippery.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
6 Nov. 2025
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To remind residents of winter driving hazards, the Michigan State Police posted a video on X demonstrating how to recover from skidding on a slippery road.—
Sarah Moore,
Freep.com,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The hotel generates between $150,000 and $200,000 annually in transient occupancy tax (TOT) revenue that will be lost after the conversion.—
Phil Diehl,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 Nov. 2025
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Stargazers interested in creating a lasting view of the transient visitors to Earth's sky should check out our guide to observing and photographing comets, along with our roundups of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography in 2025.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Its abstraction feels less evasive than connective, demanding engagement with the core fear rather than the distraction of specifics; the threat can no longer be imagined as some specific other — some other government, some other madman.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
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Stankovic attempted to make a hard evasive left turn and entered opposite traffic, hitting a Subaru Crosstrek, officials said.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Elusive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elusive. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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