elusive
adjective
1. difficult to describe
- a haunting elusive odor
Similar word(s): unidentifiable
2. skillful at eluding capture
- a cabal of conspirators, each more elusive than the archterrorist
Similar word(s): artful
3. difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
- that elusive thing the soul
Similar word(s): impalpable, subtle
4. making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe
Similar word(s): difficult, hard, baffling, knotty, problematic, problematical, tough
Sentences with elusive as an adjective:
- The elusive criminal was arrested
- A precise definition of diarrhea is elusive (Robbin's pathology, 8th ed)