elusive

• Qualifie ce qui est difficile à trouver, à attraper ou à atteindre ; qui échappe à la saisie ou à la compréhension.

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.

   difficile à trouver ou à attraper

   • 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.

   Synonymesevasivefugitiveshiftyslipperytransienttrickyunobtainable

   Antonymesaccessible

2. Difficult to understand or defineB2formal

   Hard to grasp mentally; not easily remembered or described.

   difficile à cerner

   • 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.

   Synonymesambiguousbafflingindefinableintangiblenebulousobscureperplexingslipperysubtlevague

   Antonymesapparentcleardistinctevidentexplicitobvious