How to Use elusive in a Sentence

elusive

adjective
Definition of elusivenext
Synonyms for elusivenext
  • The truth may prove elusive.
  • This is the most elusive, and also the smallest, of the five.
    — Liz Langley, National Geographic, 26 July 2019
  • The state is a predator and the rule of law remains elusive.
    — Mary Anastasia O’Grady, WSJ, 7 July 2021
  • The stakes are so high, and the best talent is so elusive right now.
    — Andrea Davey, Forbes, 21 June 2022
  • Runs hard and is elusive but isn’t gonna run over guys.
    — Terez A. Paylor, kansascity.com, 17 Apr. 2017
  • Long days end late and leave cooks so wired that sleep is elusive.
    — Liz Biro, Indianapolis Star, 23 Mar. 2020
  • Even at the low end of that range, that target has been elusive.
    — Karen Kaplan Science and Medicine Editor, Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2021
  • Since then, a mass of visitors has dropped by to catch a glimpse of the elusive dog.
    — Sharon Grigsby, Dallas News, 14 Mar. 2023
  • The why — why a brand even exists — proves more elusive.
    — Washington Post, 15 Nov. 2021
  • Yet, one prize — the grandest of them all — has been elusive.
    — Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 22 Nov. 2022
  • In sum, Donovan has proven to be as elusive off the field as on it.
    — Brian Straus, SI.com, 13 Jan. 2018
  • The clues kept coming in, yet a smoking gun was elusive.
    — Paul Schrodt, Men's Health, 30 Nov. 2022
  • An elusive or speedy running back can make a line look good.
    — Scott Patsko, cleveland, 8 Aug. 2021
  • But even in the best of times, making ends meet was often elusive.
    — Shauna Stuart | Sstuart@al.com, al, 4 May 2020
  • The hope is that the registry will produce answers that have been elusive.
    — Larry Lage, Star Tribune, 16 Sep. 2020
  • In other words, the answer is as elusive as the virus itself.
    — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Feb. 2021
  • Cook is one of the most elusive backs in the league, but Woods made his job too easy on this play.
    — John Owning, Dallas News, 13 May 2020
  • Yet so much depends on the perfect baguette and the perfect baguette is elusive.
    — Roger Cohen, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2023
  • The hunt for one of the nation's most elusive serial killers may now be over.
    — Doug Criss, CNN, 26 Apr. 2018
  • That’s proving to be just as elusive as the search for a quarterback.
    — Jamie Samuelsen, Detroit Free Press, 16 Apr. 2018
  • The director’s whole career has been built on the elusive search for now.
    — Vulture, 26 May 2023
  • The giant squid is so elusive that even today sightings make the news.
    — Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 July 2020
  • But agreement on the details of a framework has so far been elusive.
    — Adem K Abebe, Quartz Africa, 7 June 2019
  • At the same time, Haley proved to be a more elusive leader.
    — chicagotribune.com, 9 Mar. 2018
  • From moment to moment, though, the movie is more elusive.
    — Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2023
  • But a night safari isn’t the only time to catch these elusive creatures.
    — Stephanie Vermillion, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Feb. 2023
  • The early enrollee was able to be hit, but elusive in some of his rushes.
    — Scott Springer, The Enquirer, 17 Apr. 2023
  • The smell of chlorine could be more elusive than usual this summer.
    — Nathan Bomey and Eli Golde, USA TODAY, 1 May 2021
  • Many did, but some were elusive or didn't want to re-open that wound on a journey through the past.
    — Chris O'Connell, Chron, 15 May 2022
  • But Higgs the man emerges in your book as an elusive person as well.
    — Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 24 June 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'elusive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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