elusive
- 01 C1 Advanced
difficult to find, catch, or see in person.
tending to evade capture or physical detection; often used for rare wildlife or people who avoid being found.
Simple“The mountain lion is an elusive animal that humans rarely see in the wild.”
In context“Despite months of tracking, the elusive snow leopard remained just out of sight, leaving only fresh prints in the high mountain passes.”
UsageUsually placed before the noun it describes.
Antonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
difficult to describe, understand, or remember exactly.
difficult to define, grasp, or recall with precision; applies to abstract concepts like memories, dreams, or complex ideas.
Simple“The meaning of the poem was elusive, even after I read it three times.”
In context“The witness struggled to describe the suspect, as the memory of the brief encounter remained frustratingly elusive.”
Teacher's tipLearners often confuse this with 'illusive' (related to illusions). Remind them that 'elusive' is about escaping, while 'illusive' is about being fake.
“For all his flamboyance, Gordon remains a somewhat elusive figure; by the end we’re not much closer to identifying what really spurs him on.”
“Established singers sang Stewart’s songs but solo success was elusive until Nashville producer Roy Dea convinced RCA to sign Stewart in 1973.”
From Latin elusus, past participle of eludo (“to parry a blow, to deceive”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.