# elusive

/ɪˈɫusɪv/ (US) · /ɪlˈuːsɪv/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/elusive
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. hard to find or catch

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal

difficult to find, catch, or see in person.

For teachers: tending to evade capture or physical detection; often used for rare wildlife or people who avoid being found.

- The mountain lion is an elusive animal that humans rarely see in the wild.
- Despite months of tracking, the elusive snow leopard remained just out of sight, leaving only fresh prints in the high mountain passes.

Usage: Usually placed before the noun it describes.

### 2. hard to define or remember

adjective · CEFR C1 · Academic · Formal

difficult to describe, understand, or remember exactly.

For teachers: difficult to define, grasp, or recall with precision; applies to abstract concepts like memories, dreams, or complex ideas.

- The meaning of the poem was elusive, even after I read it three times.
- The witness struggled to describe the suspect, as the memory of the brief encounter remained frustratingly elusive.

Teaching tip: Learners often confuse this with 'illusive' (related to illusions). Remind them that 'elusive' is about escaping, while 'illusive' is about being fake.

## Examples

- The perfect solution remains elusive despite our hard work.
- The rare snow leopard is an elusive creature that few photographers have ever seen in the wild.
- While the basic mechanics of the theory were clear, a deeper understanding of its implications remained elusive for even the most senior researchers in the department.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.