elusive

• Beschreibt etwas, das schwer zu finden, zu fassen oder zu erreichen ist, oder jemanden, der sich geschickt entzieht oder ausweicht.

Describes something that is difficult to find, catch, or achieve.

1. Difficult to find or catchB2formal

   Tending to avoid capture or detection; hard to locate or obtain.

   Schwer zu fassen

   • The elusive butterfly fluttered just out of reach.
   • Police are searching for the elusive criminal who has evaded capture for years.
   • The answer to the puzzle remained elusive despite hours of effort.

   Synonymeevasivefugitiveshiftyslipperytransienttrickyunobtainable

   Antonymeaccessible

2. Difficult to understand or defineB2formal

   Hard to grasp mentally; not easily remembered or described.

   Schwer zu fassen

   • The concept of time is often elusive to young children.
   • She struggled to capture the elusive meaning of the poem.
   • Happiness can be an elusive feeling for some people.

   Synonymeambiguousbafflingindefinableintangiblenebulousobscureperplexingslipperysubtlevague

   Antonymeapparentcleardistinctevidentexplicitobvious