"Elude," and its adjective "elusive," are common, formal, wonderfully useful words, perfect for talking about all kinds of literal and figurative instances of people, ideas, and information just sneaking away.

You might talk about criminals who elude the police or elude capture; or about cats who elude you until mealtime. Or, you might talk about names and memories and other bits of information that elude you.

Or, talk about elusive people and ideas, especially when you want to emphasize how great they are at slipping away from people who are trying to catch onto them. For example: an elusive author who never grants interviews, or an elusive product that's never in stock.

"Elusive" also works as a fun, more mysterious alternative to "vague," "poorly defined," and "hard to understand." Like this: "She has some elusive quality, some kind of look behind her eyes that makes it impossible to look away from her."

"Deep sleep continued to elude me."  
   — Carolyn Maull McKinstry, While the World Watched, 2011

"Known as a net energy gain, the goal has been elusive because fusion happens at such high temperatures and pressures that it is incredibly difficult to control."
   — Matthew Daly, Michael Phillis, Jennifer McDermott, and Maddie Burakoff, Associated Press, 12 December 2022

has this page helped you understand "elude"?

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Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "elude" without saying "evade" or "slip away."

try it out:

Fill in the blank: "What eludes me is (some kind of knowledge or understanding, like a secret, a principle, or a reason)."

Example 1: "What eludes me is how these stylists wrap hair around round brushes without getting it hopelessly, tragically tangled."

Example 2: "To discover what eluded me: the secret of the magic [little white girls] weaved on others. What made people look at them and say, 'Awwwww,' but not for me?"
   — Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye, 1970

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game this month is "Name that Sketchplanation!"

Check out the sketch below, created by Jono Hey at Sketchplanations.com.

Focus on the title, and see if you can come up with the word or phrase that belongs in the blurry spot. It'll be one we've studied before.

See the answer on the original Sketchplanation!

And if you like, review the word here.

review this word:

1. Opposites of ELUSIVE include

A. STURDY, HEARTY, and VIGOROUS.
B. CLEAR, STABLE, and ATTAINABLE.
C. WHOLE, PRISTINE, and IMMACULATE.

2. In A Clash of Kings, George R. R. Martin wrote, "Before Lord Stannis had knighted him, he had been the most notorious and elusive _____ in all the Seven Kingdoms."

A. dancer
B. smuggler
C. translator

Answers to the review questions: 1. B 2. B

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.