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noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word fugitive different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of fugitive are ephemeral, evanescent, fleeting, momentary, transient, and transitory. While all these words mean "lasting or staying only a short time," fugitive and fleeting imply passing so quickly as to make apprehending difficult.

let a fugitive smile flit across his face
fleeting moments of joy

When is ephemeral a more appropriate choice than fugitive?

The meanings of ephemeral and fugitive largely overlap; however, ephemeral implies striking brevity of life or duration.

many slang words are ephemeral

When is it sensible to use evanescent instead of fugitive?

In some situations, the words evanescent and fugitive are roughly equivalent. However, evanescent suggests a quick vanishing and an airy or fragile quality.

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

When can momentary be used instead of fugitive?

While in some cases nearly identical to fugitive, 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

Where would transient be a reasonable alternative to fugitive?

The words transient and fugitive are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, transient applies to what is actually short in its duration or stay.

a hotel catering primarily to transient guests

In what contexts can transitory take the place of fugitive?

The words transitory and fugitive can be used in similar contexts, but 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

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 fugitive
Adjective
The last remaining fugitive, who was part of a group of New Orleans jail inmates that escaped earlier this year, was involved in a standoff with authorities in Atlanta, authorities said. Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2025 As the officers contained the vehicle, the fugitive produced a gun, the news release stated. Michelle Cruz, AZCentral.com, 27 Sep. 2025
Noun
More than 100 people wanted for violent crimes were arrested in a sweeping multi-agency initiative dubbed Operation Guardian, described by Indianapolis' police chief as the city's largest-ever fugitive apprehension effort. Ryan Murphy, IndyStar, 25 Sep. 2025 Abundant evidence previously published by El Faro lent credibility to the gang members’ claims, but in these times, an intelligence document with official stamps and signatures or pictures from prison security cameras have less weight than a famous fugitive gang leader saying it himself on camera. Óscar Martínez & Carlos Martínez, The Dial, 16 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fugitive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fugitive
Adjective
  • Others raise concerns about the massive amount of electricity and content made by humans that the largest models consume, even as dramatic capability improvements have begun to seem elusive.
    NPR, NPR, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Continue reading … LIZ PEEK – Democrat fury fuels 'No Kings' protests but endgame is elusive.
    , FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • And many supermarkets offer bags of flash-frozen cranberries year-round.
    Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 13 Oct. 2025
  • What To Know A map shared by the NWS on Facebook showed a broad corridor of flash-flood risk spanning the Western states and Southern Plains.
    Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • In the wake of personal loss, an unexpected sisterhood unites an ambitious New York healthcare worker with a spirited girl from a nomadic tribe in India.
    Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2025
  • The increasingly inaccessible real estate market is a hot topic among would-be homeowners these days, leaving shoppers looking for alternative options in the form of rentals, nomadic living, and yes, tiny homes.
    Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 8 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The line occurs when the film’s protagonist, Ripley (Weaver), emerges from an elevator in a giant metal bodysuit, ready to fight a terrifying alien to save a young child.
    Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2025
  • The peculiar requirement is an homage to Emma Stone’s character in the film, who is a bald-headed CEO who ends up kidnapped and suspected of being an alien.
    Andrew McGowan, Variety, 18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The Italian retailer — which boasts flagships in Milan, Lugano, Switzerland, and Ibiza, Spain — has opened a temporary space inside the Patina Maldives luxury hospitality venue on Fari Islands, part of the North Malé atoll.
    Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Ten days later, Richards' request for a temporary restraining order was granted.
    Christina Dugan Ramirez , Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • New this season are nomad-style cooking workshops, starlit movies for younger campers, and sunrise hawk walks.
    Katharina Kotrba, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Trabajadores Unidos Workers United was given an additional $541,375 to prepare immigrant and refugee communities with training and mutual aid.
    Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Almost none of the refugees had been permitted to read or write on the plantation, and thus the precise nuance of their feelings is lost to time.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • In fact, the tranquility of the rocking waves, or maybe the transient, ineffable quality of the water, seems to have lodged in Christian’s brain.
    Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2025
  • The recent brightening could be a transient outburst rather than a steady increase as the comet approaches to the sun, only time will tell.
    Anthony Wood, Space.com, 3 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fugitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fugitive. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.

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