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Synonyms

evasive

American  
[ih-vey-siv] / ɪˈveɪ sɪv /

adjective

  1. tending or seeking to evade; characterized by evasion.

    an evasive answer.

  2. elusive or evanescent.

evasive British  
/ ɪˈveɪsɪv /

adjective

  1. tending or seeking to evade; avoiding the issue; not straightforward

  2. avoiding or seeking to avoid trouble or difficulties

    to take evasive action

  3. hard to catch or obtain; elusive

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • evasively adverb
  • evasiveness noun
  • nonevasive adjective
  • nonevasively adverb
  • nonevasiveness noun
  • unevasive adjective
  • unevasively adverb
  • unevasiveness noun

Etymology

Origin of evasive

First recorded in 1715–25; evas(ion) + -ive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.