Question

elusive 【elusive】adj.令人困惑的He is such an elusive person; you never know where he is when you want him.他就是这样一个谜一般的人物，当你需要他时，你永远不知道他在何处。

Accepted Answer

[i'luːsɪv] 
elusiveskillful at eluding capture
Things that are elusive hard to find, pin down, or remember. They slip right out of your grasp.
Ever try to catch a mouse? It's not easy, because mice are quick and elusive — they're tough to catch. Rabbits are speedy, so they're elusive too. Also, things that are tough to understand or describe are elusive — like the concepts of love and beauty. If you had an idea and then forgot it, the idea is elusive: it slipped away. Anything you can't get hold of, with your hands or with your brain, is elusive.
All forms of 'elusive' will appear on average once every 1592 pages.eludeeludingelusionelusiveelusiveness
CHOOSE RIGHT WORDS: ELUSIVE-ILLUSIVE
			An elusive fairy is one you can't catch, but an illusive one was never really there at all. It was just an illusion!
Anything elusive is hard to get a hold of. It eludes you. Existentialism, love, and small rodents are among things people find elusive. If you can't understand what "nothingness" is, find that special someone, or catch the little mouse who eats your cake at night, then those things are elusive. Some examples:

Predicting extreme events any further than 10 days in advance has long been an elusive goal for meteorologists. (Scientific American)
	He proved an elusive foe for law enforcement. (Reuters)

Something illusive, on the other hand, is not real, even if it seems to be. The word illusive is used mostly in literature, where we find our favorite illusions. If flickering candlelight is casting scary shadows on the wall, don't worry, those are illusive villains. They aren't really there. Check out some examples from literature:

Then he knew it was an illusion of his eyes, straining suddenly in that illusive light. (Charles George Douglas Roberts)
	But though all my rural visions had proved illusive, there were some very substantial realities. (Harriet Beecher Stowe)

Although both words can apply to things you don't have, don't let the difference be elusive! You can't quite catch something elusive, but illusive things are just illusions. The word illusive is less common. It likes to hang around the library, where it can be easily caught.

Front	elusive
Pron	[i'luːsɪv]
Back	【elusive】 adj.令人困惑的 He is such an elusive person; you never know where he is when you want him. 他就是这样一个谜一般的人物，当你需要他时，你永远不知道他在何处。
Vocab	elusiveskillful at eluding capture Things that are elusive hard to find, pin down, or remember. They slip right out of your grasp. Ever try to catch a mouse? It's not easy, because mice are quick and elusive — they're tough to catch. Rabbits are speedy, so they're elusive too. Also, things that are tough to understand or describe are elusive — like the concepts of love and beauty. If you had an idea and then forgot it, the idea is elusive: it slipped away. Anything you can't get hold of, with your hands or with your brain, is elusive. All forms of 'elusive' will appear on average once every 1592 pages. elude eluding elusion elusive elusiveness CHOOSE RIGHT WORDS: ELUSIVE-ILLUSIVE An elusive fairy is one you can't catch, but an illusive one was never really there at all. It was just an illusion! Anything elusive is hard to get a hold of. It eludes you. Existentialism, love, and small rodents are among things people find elusive. If you can't understand what "nothingness" is, find that special someone, or catch the little mouse who eats your cake at night, then those things are elusive. Some examples: Predicting extreme events any further than 10 days in advance has long been an elusive goal for meteorologists. (Scientific American) He proved an elusive foe for law enforcement. (Reuters) Something illusive, on the other hand, is not real, even if it seems to be. The word illusive is used mostly in literature, where we find our favorite illusions. If flickering candlelight is casting scary shadows on the wall, don't worry, those are illusive villains. They aren't really there. Check out some examples from literature: Then he knew it was an illusion of his eyes, straining suddenly in that illusive light. (Charles George Douglas Roberts) But though all my rural visions had proved illusive, there were some very substantial realities. (Harriet Beecher Stowe) Although both words can apply to things you don't have, don't let the difference be elusive! You can't quite catch something elusive, but illusive things are just illusions. The word illusive is less common. It likes to hang around the library, where it can be easily caught.

Elusive Illusive Things Catch Find Hard Tough Understand