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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Recent Examples of elusive
For now, Talarico is running for the Senate, becoming the latest in a line of buzzy Democrats put forward to pursue the Party’s increasingly elusive dream of winning a statewide election in Texas.
—
David Remnick, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
The Heidari brothers are rather elusive figures in the cohort of restaurateurs defining Dallas’ dining scene.
—Claire Ballor
staff Reporter, Dallas Morning News, 23 Feb. 2026
Rare and Special Finds Some treasures are more elusive, but that’s part of the thrill.
—Ashley Poskin, Martha Stewart, 21 Feb. 2026
Forging a broad coalition across these tendencies seems like an obvious necessity but has so far proved elusive.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for elusive
David Remnick, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
The Heidari brothers are rather elusive figures in the cohort of restaurateurs defining Dallas’ dining scene.
—Claire Ballor
staff Reporter, Dallas Morning News, 23 Feb. 2026
Rare and Special Finds Some treasures are more elusive, but that’s part of the thrill.
—Ashley Poskin, Martha Stewart, 21 Feb. 2026
Forging a broad coalition across these tendencies seems like an obvious necessity but has so far proved elusive.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for elusive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elusive
Adjective
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Crews are prioritizing salting roads to prevent slippery conditions.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
23 Feb. 2026
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The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for the Beltway area late Sunday afternoon into Monday morning because of the possibility of slippery roads, which could impact the Monday morning commute.—
Jason Samenow,
Washington Post,
21 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Waldeck said the police department has a transient fund financially supported by local churches that can be used for a one- to two-night hotel stay in emergency situations.—
Lynne Hermansen,
Kansas City Star,
27 Feb. 2026
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The rooms The old Japanese proverb ‘*kachou fuugetsu’—*which translates as ‘flower, bird, wind, moon’ evoking a sense of the transient beauty of nature—is a key concept at the hotel.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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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
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Most are evasive, a few are obsequious, many are defiant, a few are enraged, and all appear to feel their lives slipping away under the seemingly boundless force of judicial inquisition.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elusive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elusive. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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