fugitive

1 of 2

adjective

fu·​gi·​tive ˈfyü-jə-tiv 

1

: running away or intending flight

a fugitive slave

a fugitive debtor

2

: moving from place to place : wandering

the fugitive clouds of the sky

—K. K. Darrow

3

a

: being of short duration

the journalist … is concerned only with the fugitive moment

—A. L. Guerard

b

: difficult to grasp or retain : elusive

thought is clear or muddy, graspable or fugitive

—J. M. Barzun

c

: likely to evaporate, deteriorate, change, fade, or disappear

dyed with fugitive colors

4

: being of transient (see transient entry 1 sense 1) interest

fugitive essays

fugitively adverb

fugitiveness noun

fugitive

2 of 2

noun

1

: a person who flees or tries to escape: such as

a

: a person who flees a country or location to escape danger (such as war) or persecution : refugee

b

: a person (such as a suspect, witness, or defendant) involved in a criminal case who tries to elude law enforcement especially by fleeing the jurisdiction

called also fugitive from justice

2

: something elusive or hard to find

Did you know?

Fugitive was adopted into English as both a noun and an adjective in the 14th century from the Latin adjective fugitivus, which itself comes from the verb fugere, meaning “to flee.”

Synonyms

Adjective

• elusive
• evasive
• slippery

Choose the Right Synonym for fugitive

transient, transitory, ephemeral, momentary, fugitive, fleeting, evanescent mean lasting or staying only a short time.

transient applies to what is actually short in its duration or stay.

a hotel catering primarily to transient guests

transitory applies to what is by its nature or essence bound to change, pass, or come to an end.

fame in the movies is transitory

ephemeral implies striking brevity of life or duration.

many slang words are ephemeral

momentary suggests coming and going quickly and therefore being merely a brief interruption of a more enduring state.

my feelings of guilt were only momentary

fugitive and fleeting imply passing so quickly as to make apprehending difficult.

let a fugitive smile flit across his face

fleeting moments of joy

evanescent suggests a quick vanishing and an airy or fragile quality.

the story has an evanescent touch of whimsy that is lost in translation

Examples of fugitive in a Sentence

Adjective

As he daydreamed, fugitive thoughts passed through his mind.

that fugitive trait called artistic creativity

Noun

They discovered that he was a fugitive of the law.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Willis said that, after her office indicted members of the U.S. Marshals task force, the federal agency rolled back its fugitive investigations in the Atlanta area. —Simone Weichselbaum, NBC News, 6 Dec. 2023

John Wick: Chapter 4 Keanu Reeves returns to the title role of a supremely lethal fugitive assassin in this fourth installment of the vibrantly violent action franchise. —Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 4 Dec. 2023

Organic materials, including food waste, are responsible for 58% of fugitive methane emissions from municipal solid waste landfills, the EPA found. —Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 1 Nov. 2023

For most of Wednesday night, one of their tenants stood in the backyard with a gun, watching for the fugitive shooter. —Robert Klemko, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2023

The movie begins shifting more awkwardly between the misanthropic writer posing as a fugitive convict (the excuse Monk claims to avoid press appearances) and Monk trying to manage his mother’s health, a new relationship and his brother Cliff’s own personal reckonings. —Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Sep. 2023

He was accused of funneling money to Malaysian fugitive Low Taek Jho (aka Jho Low) for political campaigns, as well as making false statements in connection with the conspiracy. —Evan Minsker, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2023

The original lineup, announced by Mr. Shor in July, had to be revised multiple times to remove people from outside the region whose only qualification was loyalty to the fugitive millionaire before legislators voted to endorse it on Wednesday. —Andrew Higgins, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2023

During the 60 years or so of its existence, the Underground Railroad may have helped as many as 100,000 fugitive slaves to safety in the North and Canada. —Fergus M. Bordewich, WSJ, 15 Sep. 2023

Noun

This is somebody who's a fugitive and desperately trying to get away. —Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 16 Nov. 2023

Scott was listed as an inmate in the Clark County Detention Center, on a warrant charging her as a fugitive from another state, jail records showed. —Antonio Planas, NBC News, 21 Oct. 2023

When a group of attackers pursues Nick Fury, Cap is labeled a fugitive and goes on the run with the help of Black Widow and Falcon to find the real enemy. —Jacqueline Weiss, Peoplemag, 10 Nov. 2023

The star witness is literally a fugitive from the law. —Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 29 Sep. 2023

The highest-profile beneficiary of the new law would be Carles Puigdemont, the former president of Catalonia who has been a fugitive of Spanish courts since trying and failing to declare the region’s independence six years ago. —TIME, 13 Nov. 2023

But, throughout those decades, flamingo sightings were incredibly rare, and the birds were usually assumed to be fugitives from the racetrack. —Michael Adno, The New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2023

Both parents were fugitives, having finally escaped enslavement in Virginia after several unsuccessful attempts. —IEEE Spectrum, 25 Oct. 2023

Low, who remains a fugitive of justice, has been dubbed by associates and media outlets as the Asian Great Gatsby. —Timothy Bella, Washington Post, 17 Oct. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Middle English, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French fugitif, from Latin fugitivus, from fugitus, past participle of fugere to flee; akin to Greek pheugein to flee

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing fugitive

• fugitive from justice

• fugitive from justice

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Kids Definition

fugitive

1 of 2 adjective

fu·​gi·​tive ˈfyü-jət-ˌiv 

1

: running away or trying to run away

a fugitive slave

2

: lasting a very short time : not fixed or lasting

fugitive thoughts

fugitively adverb

fugitive

2 of 2 noun

1

: a person who runs away or tries to escape

especially : refugee

2

: something that is hard to find

Etymology

Noun

Middle English fugitif, fugitive "one who is running away," from early French fugitif and Latin fugitivus (both, same meaning), from Latin fugitus, past participle of fugere "to run away, flee" — related to centrifugal, refugee

Medical Definition

fugitive

adjective

fu·​gi·​tive ˈfyü-jət-iv 

: tending to be inconstant or transient

fugitive aches and pains

—Berton Roueche

Legal Definition

fugitive

noun

fu·​gi·​tive

ˈfyü-jə-tiv

: a person who flees

especially : a person who flees one jurisdiction (as a state) for another in order to elude law enforcement personnel