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
An elusive first victory lifted Pirovano to third in the downhill standings, trailing 64 behind Vonn and 50 back of Aicher.
—
ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
Riders must find the elusive Lego brick separator — used to take apart Lego bricks — and use it to break up the Lego asteroid.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 6 Mar. 2026
The idea remains unproven, however, and clear evidence of past or present life on Mars remains elusive (though scientists have made some intriguing finds lately).
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 6 Mar. 2026
The point is that Clairborne is elusive as hell, like LeSean McCoy in the snow.
—Jake Ciely, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for elusive
ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
Riders must find the elusive Lego brick separator — used to take apart Lego bricks — and use it to break up the Lego asteroid.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 6 Mar. 2026
The idea remains unproven, however, and clear evidence of past or present life on Mars remains elusive (though scientists have made some intriguing finds lately).
—Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 6 Mar. 2026
The point is that Clairborne is elusive as hell, like LeSean McCoy in the snow.
—Jake Ciely, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for elusive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elusive
Adjective
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And the plates would ice up overnight and melt during the day and the diamond plate floor would get wet and slippery.—
Jody Mamone,
Hartford Courant,
8 Mar. 2026
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Trekking poles help with slippery descents, and gaiters or quick-dry pants can make muddy crossings more comfortable.—
Alexandra Gillespie,
Outside,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Furthermore, the sudden cessation of flow in the pipeline triggers transient pressure surges, known as water-hammer effects, which propagate as high-velocity shockwaves through the fluid column.—
Siddharth Misra,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
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Coach Brian Dutcher had his most revealing comments yet about what could come next for a program that has largely been immune from the disruptive, transient forces of college athletics.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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This question, which references concepts from Maas’s book worlds, received the most evasive response of the entire segment.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
5 Mar. 2026
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Venezuelan officials have neither confirmed nor denied the reports and have issued a series of evasive and sometimes contradictory public statements about his whereabouts.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elusive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elusive. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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