elusive
difficult to find, catch, grasp, or define
Word origin: From Latin eludere, to evade or elude.
Elusive in a sentence
Here are example sentences showing elusive in a sentence.
A cure for the disease has proved frustratingly elusive.
A precise definition of consciousness has proved elusive despite decades of philosophical effort.
Using “elusive” well
Elusive describes something hard to catch, grasp, or pin down, whether a fugitive, a memory, or a concept. It blends the senses of slippery and difficult to define.
More GRE words starting with E
to gradually decline, recede, or diminish
overflowing enthusiasm and liveliness
the quality of overflowing, bubbling enthusiasm
overflowing with cheerful enthusiasm and high spirits
deviating from conventional or accepted behavior in odd ways
a level or rank within an organization, profession, or society
drawing from a wide and diverse range of sources or styles
to deprive of importance or overshadow by being superior
Questions about “elusive”
See these words the way the GRE tests them.
Definitions in isolation do not stick. Sit a free, full-length GRE mock and meet this vocabulary inside real text completion and sentence equivalence questions, with your score and a worked solution for every answer.