1
Hard to locate
Difficult to find or catch.
Example
The elusive bird nests deep within the marsh.
elusive
/ɪˈluːsɪv/ · ih-LOO-sivadjective
Difficult to find, capture, understand, or achieve.
Use elusive when the context supports this precise sense: difficult to find, capture, understand, or achieve.
What elusive Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Hard to understand
Resistant to clear explanation.
Example
A precise cause of the decline remains elusive.
3
Hard to achieve
Repeatedly beyond practical success.
Example
Consensus proved elusive despite months of negotiation.
Use elusive Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
The elusive bird nests deep within the marsh.
A precise cause of the decline remains elusive.
Consensus proved elusive despite months of negotiation.
Precision Matters
Elusive overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
elusive
vs.Means difficult to find, capture, understand, or achieve.
unattainable
Means impossible to reach, obtain, or achieve.
elusive
vs.Means difficult to find, capture, understand, or achieve.
obscure
Means not well known or difficult to understand.
elusive
vs.Means difficult to find, capture, understand, or achieve.
nebulous
Means vague, unclear, or insufficiently defined.
elusive
vs.Means difficult to find, capture, understand, or achieve.
attainable
Means able to be reached or achieved.
Test elusive in Context
The evidence is difficult to find, though not declared impossible.
1
Researchers have several plausible hypotheses, but decisive evidence remains ___ because the relevant fossils are rare.