illusive

[ ih-loo-siv ]

adjective

1. illusory.

Other Words From

• il·lusive·ly adverb
• il·lusive·ness noun
• nonil·lusive adjective
• nonil·lusive·ly adverb
• nonil·lusive·ness noun
• unil·lusive adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of illusive¹

First recorded in 1670–80; illus(ory) + -ive

Example Sentences

The Americans are not naive about the chances of achieving the most illusive of goals in the Middle East, amid some of the worst bloodshed in the region's modern history.

From BBC

Misdirected faith and beliefs can be illusive and sometimes dangerous.

From Los Angeles Times

“Seldom has the bleakness and despair of American college life been portrayed with such immediacy and truth — the paranoia, the Sisyphean striving, the illusive goals, the strange symbiosis that springs up between student and professor.”

From Washington Post

She had also charged Salameh’s brother, Raja, for being involved in the formation of three illusive companies in France alongside Ukrainian citizen Anna Kosakova to purchase real estate worth nearly $12 million there.

From Seattle Times

Officials, lawmakers and victims groups have grown frustrated that an explanation remains illusive.

From New York Times