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
But for most programs, the highest level is elusive.
—
Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 1 June 2026
Pratt’s moves on Sunday remained more elusive.
—Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2026
The man himself remains oddly elusive even after two centuries of scholarship, mythmaking, debunking and patriotic embalming.
—Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 30 May 2026
Scientists had previously suspected that red dwarfs, which are considerably smaller and dimmer than the sun, could consume their own planetary systems — but evidence has been elusive.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for elusive
Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 1 June 2026
Pratt’s moves on Sunday remained more elusive.
—Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2026
The man himself remains oddly elusive even after two centuries of scholarship, mythmaking, debunking and patriotic embalming.
—Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 30 May 2026
Scientists had previously suspected that red dwarfs, which are considerably smaller and dimmer than the sun, could consume their own planetary systems — but evidence has been elusive.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for elusive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elusive
Adjective
-
Though most trails are fairly easy in TRNP, hiking boots protect better than sneakers or sandals (especially when trails are slippery after a rain).—
Julia Sayers Gokhale,
Midwest Living,
1 June 2026
-
The recordings depict Combs as anxious, controlling and embattled, hyperaware of his legal and PR team’s slippery grasp on his situation.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
Unfortunately, with how transient college athletes are now, these cupcake performances can come at a detriment to the program, as Knight would end up transferring following the firing of Auburn coach Hugh Freeze at the end of the 2025 season.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 May 2026
-
The supervisors previously directed staff to research raising the transient occupancy tax rate in an effort to close a multi-million-dollar budget gap.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
Not every calm response is evasive.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
-
Ukrainian pilots have also adopted evasive actions at extremely low altitudes.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
25 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elusive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elusive. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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