illusive

Definition of illusivenext

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 illusive There is nothing wrong with wanting to be in communication or to lurk on their pages — especially when Venus retrograde links up with illusive Neptune on March 27th. Lisa Stardust, refinery29.com, 27 Feb. 2025 The month wraps up with a very special cosmic event, as illusive and intuitive Neptune will leave your sign for the first time in nearly 15 years, ingressing into fiery Aries. Nina Kahn, StyleCaster, 24 Feb. 2025 The ever-illusive Banksy, whose real identity remains a mystery, was not always so secretive, reveals the BBC. The Editors Of Artnews, ARTnews.com, 16 Jan. 2025 Howl, an illusive magic-user, takes over the cooking from Sophie, placing bacon in the pan and feeding egg shells to Calcifer, who happily munches away on the detritus. Eliana Dockterman, TIME, 21 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for illusive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illusive
Adjective
  • Elegant yet illusory, the pearls become armor for a woman determined to turn artifice into art.
    Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Man, woman, dog—their illusory life was over.
    Joy Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • As players shoot around, Jake cradles a ball before blowing past an imaginary defender to hammer home a dunk.
    Mirin Fader, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
  • At the opening, Natalie, bored and filled with loathing for her parents, flees her family home by retreating into imaginary worlds of vivid, eroticized violence.
    Erin Somers, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • This isn’t callousness or delusive optimism but, rather, a rebellion against the suffocating expectation that the elderly have foreclosed the possibility of joy.
    Hillary Kelly, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2024
  • To separate art from its historical framework is futile, and to reject it in an effort to censor past violence is a delusive act of virtue signaling.
    WSJ, WSJ, 5 July 2022
Adjective
  • The lawsuit, filed in New York federal court on Tuesday, brings claims for deceptive practices and false advertising, among others.
    Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2025
  • The complaints allow the public to report unfair or deceptive business practices, according to the agency’s website, and can prompt investigations from the office.
    Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • The proximity to Lincoln Center was an obvious draw for musicians, and renters included an avant-garde composer on the sixth floor, a bassist on the fourth, and an opera teacher on the ground level.
    Will Ellis, Curbed, 6 Jan. 2026
  • After successfully training rookie Jackson West, Angela sets her sights on becoming a detective while trying to ignore her obvious chemistry with defense attorney Wesley Evers (Shawn Ashmore).
    Tanya Melendez, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • Turner spoke with an arresting conviction, locating Canada’s fate in geography, history, and its defining quest to defy manifest destiny and political gravity.
    Dónal Gill, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
  • In the case of pro athletes, the skills being developed often manifest around the nature of media today.
    Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Experts immediately pointed out that Hassett had used a misleading method known as a cubic fit to make the mortality data appear less frightening.
    Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2026
  • For its misleading omissions, the Times story deserves a flunking grade.
    Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
  • That is delusory of course, but it can be fashioned into a victory claim that might well be readily embraced by war-weary and war-wary Russians in the public and among the elite.
    John Mueller, Foreign Affairs, 29 Nov. 2022

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Cite this Entry

“Illusive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illusive. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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