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单词 elusive
释义
elusive
(once / 1593 pages)
1adj 2adj 3adj

Things that are elusive are hard to find, pin down, or remember. They slip right out of your grasp.
Ever try to catch a mouse? It's not easy, because mice are quick and elusive — they're tough to catch. Rabbits are speedy, so they're elusive too. Also, things that are tough to understand or describe are elusive — like the concepts of love and beauty. If you had an idea and then forgot it, the idea is elusive: it slipped away. Anything you can't get hold of, with your hands or with your brain, is elusive.
CHOOSE YOUR WORDS
elusive / illusive

An elusive fairy is one you can't catch, but an illusive one was never really there at all. It was just an illusion!

Anything elusive is hard to get a hold of. It eludes you. Existentialism, love, and small rodents are among things people find elusive. If you can't understand what "nothingness" is, find that special someone, or catch the little mouse who eats your cake at night, then those things are elusive. Some examples:

Predicting extreme events any further than 10 days in advance has long been an elusive goal for meteorologists. (Scientific American)

He proved an elusive foe for law enforcement. (Reuters)

Something illusive, on the other hand, is not real, even if it seems to be. The word illusive is used mostly in literature, where we find our favorite illusions. If flickering candlelight is casting scary shadows on the wall, don't worry, those are illusive villains. They aren't really there. Check out some examples from literature:

Then he knew it was an illusion of his eyes, straining suddenly in that illusive light. (Charles George Douglas Roberts)

But though all my rural visions had proved illusive, there were some very substantial realities. (Harriet Beecher Stowe)

Although both words can apply to things you don't have, don't let the difference be elusive! You can't quite catch something elusive, but illusive things are just illusions. The word illusive is less common. It likes to hang around the library, where it can be easily caught.

WORD FAMILY
elusive: elusively, elusiveness+/elude: eluded, eludes, eluding, elusion, elusive/elusion: elusions
USAGE EXAMPLES
This is what creates the red patches and silvery scales of psoriasis, and it also explains why “cures” are elusive.
Seattle Times(Jan 01, 2017)
The Russian companies newly sanctioned by the U.S. also suggest an elusive link.
Wall Street Journal(Dec 30, 2016)
Murray’s focus now turns to the Qatar Open in Doha as he builds towards his push for an elusive first Australian Open title next month.
The Guardian(Dec 30, 2016)
1
adj skillful at eluding capture
"a cabal of conspirators, each more elusive than the archterrorist"- David Kline
Syn
artful
marked by skill in achieving a desired end especially with cunning or craft
2
1adj difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
that elusive thing the soul
Syn
subtle
impalpable
imperceptible to the senses or the mind
2adj difficult to describe
a haunting elusive odor
Syn
unidentifiable
impossible to identify
3
adj making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe
Syn
baffling, knotty, problematic, problematical, tough
difficult, hard
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
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更新时间:2024/12/23 11:49:24