elusive

Definitions

Difficult to find, catch, or achieve.

Difficult to remember, recall, or grasp mentally.

Examples

The elusive criminal managed to escape the police by disappearing into the crowded subway station.

Despite years of research, the exact cause of the disease remains elusive to the scientific community.

Synonyms

evasive slippery fleeting intangible ambiguous hard to grasp shifty

Antonyms

accessible obvious definite tangible straightforward clear attainable