elusive

e·lu·sive  (-lsv, -zv)

adj.

1. Tending to elude capture, perception, comprehension, or memory: "an invisible cabal of conspirators, each more elusive than the archterrorist [himself]" (David Kline).

2. Difficult to define or describe: "Failures are more finely etched in our minds than triumphs, and success is an elusive, if not mythic, goal in our demanding society" (Hugh Drummond).

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[From Latin lsus, past participle of ldere, to elude; see elude.]

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e·lusive·ly adv.

e·lusive·ness n.

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elusive [ɪˈluːsɪv]

adj

1. difficult to catch an elusive thief

2. preferring or living in solitude and anonymity

3. difficult to remember an elusive thought

elusively  adv

elusiveness  n

Usage: See at illusory

Thesaurus

Adj.	1.	elusive - difficult to describe; "a haunting elusive odor" unidentifiable - impossible to identify
	2.	elusive - skillful at eluding capture; "a cabal of conspirators, each more elusive than the archterrorist"- David Kline artful - marked by skill in achieving a desired end especially with cunning or craft; "the artful dodger"; "an artful choice of metaphors"
	3.	elusive - difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze; "his whole attitude had undergone a subtle change"; "a subtle difference"; "that elusive thing the soul" subtle impalpable - imperceptible to the senses or the mind; "an impalpable cloud"; "impalpable shadows"; "impalpable distinctions"; "as impalpable as a dream"
	4.	elusive - making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe; "a baffling problem"; "I faced the knotty problem of what to have for breakfast"; "a problematic situation at home" baffling, knotty, problematic, problematical, tough difficult, hard - not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure; "a difficult task"; "nesting places on the cliffs are difficult of access"; "difficult times"; "why is it so hard for you to keep a secret?"

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elusive

adjective

1. difficult to catch, tricky, slippery, difficult to find, evasive, shifty I had no luck in tracking down this elusive man.

2. indefinable, puzzling, fleeting, subtle, baffling, indefinite, transient, intangible, indescribable, transitory, indistinct an attempt to recapture an elusive memory

3. evasive, puzzling, misleading, baffling, ambiguous, fraudulent, deceptive, illusory, equivocal, fallacious, unspecific, oracular, elusory an elusive answer

Translations

elusive [ɪˈluːsɪv] ADJ [prey, enemy] → esquivo, escurridizo; [thoughts, word] → inaprensible; [success] → esquivo, difícil de conseguir
he is very elusive → no es fácil encontrarlo

elusive [ɪˈluːsɪv] adj

[person, animal] → insaisissable

[quality, happiness, success] → insaisissable; [win, title, goal, prize] → hors d'atteinte; [solution, answer] → difficile à trouver

elusive

adj

truth → schwer fassbar; goal, target, success → schwer erreichbar; (= unattainable) → unerreichbar; happiness seems to be an elusive state for some people → Glück scheint für manche Menschen ein unerreichbarer Zustand zu sein; there was an elusive quality about Robert → Robert hatte etwas schwer Fassbares an sich (dat); financial success proved elusive → der finanzielle Erfolg wollte sich nicht einstellen; his answer to my question was elusive → er antwortete mir ausweichend

person → schwer zu erreichen; animal → scheu; prey → schwer zu fangen; he remained elusive → er blieb unauffindbar

elusive [ɪˈluːsɪv] adj (prey, enemy) → inafferrabile; (thoughts, word, success) → che sfugge; (glance) → sfuggevole
he is very elusive → è proprio inafferrabile