Synonym Chooser

How does the verb elude contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of elude are avoid, escape, eschew, evade, and shun. While all these words mean "to get away or keep away from something," elude implies a slippery or baffling quality in the person or thing that escapes.

what she sees in him eludes me

When can avoid be used instead of elude?

While the synonyms avoid and elude are close in meaning, avoid stresses forethought and caution in keeping clear of danger or difficulty.

try to avoid past errors

When would escape be a good substitute for elude?

In some situations, the words escape and elude are roughly equivalent. However, escape stresses the fact of getting away or being passed by not necessarily through effort or by conscious intent.

nothing escapes her sharp eyes

Where would eschew be a reasonable alternative to elude?

Although the words eschew and elude have much in common, eschew implies an avoiding or abstaining from as unwise or distasteful.

a playwright who eschews melodrama

When is evade a more appropriate choice than elude?

The synonyms evade and elude are sometimes interchangeable, but evade implies adroitness, ingenuity, or lack of scruple in escaping or avoiding.

evaded the question by changing the subject

When could shun be used to replace elude?

While in some cases nearly identical to elude, shun often implies an avoiding as a matter of habitual practice or policy and may imply repugnance or abhorrence.

you have shunned your responsibilities

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of elude Dugan was arrested by FBI agents on April 25 at the courthouse and charged with obstructing federal officers for allegedly helping Flores-Ruiz elude them. Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 8 Sep. 2025 When those forests burn today, the result is often hotter and more severe fires that elude any attempt at control. Tony Cheng, The Conversation, 8 Sep. 2025 Tony and Zive take off, eluding Henry and the Interpol agents storming the hospital. Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 4 Sep. 2025 But as with the Holy Grail of ancient Christian legend, an early-detection multicancer test has long eluded all who have pursued it. Cory Franklin, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for elude
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elude
Verb
  • The discovery adds a new dimension to understanding cancer and therapy resistance, where cells often evade treatment by shifting states.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2025
  • But Moscow has found ways to evade these.
    Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • However, by sharing so much of Lisa's code, the interface practically demanded a pointing device, and the mouse was selected, even though Raskin had so carefully tried to avoid it.
    Cameron Kaiser, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025
  • These writers will work under the latest Public Television Freelance Agreement, which the WGA East ratified in December after a lengthy and sometimes contentious negotiation cycle with PBS, narrowly avoiding a strike.
    Katie Campione, Deadline, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • With roughly 180 resorts spread across its atolls, there are dozens of worthy five-star escapes to choose from.
    Katie Lockhart, Travel + Leisure, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Auger-Aliassime played some of his best tennis since the early 2020s in the second and fourth sets, winning the former and having Sinner on the edge of going a break down for 3-1 in the latter, before the Italian escaped.
    Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Elude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elude. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on elude

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!