Meaning & Definition of Elusive in English

1. Difficult to describe

• "A haunting elusive odor"

2. Skillful at eluding capture

• "A cabal of conspirators, each more elusive than the archterrorist"- david kline

3. 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"

4. 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"