eludes
Stays beyond reach
Eludes means escapes or avoids, often through cleverness or elusiveness.
A fugitive eludes capture; a name eludes you when you can't recall it.
The word suggests something slipping away despite effort: The answer eludes me.
What eludes comprehension remains beyond understanding: The meaning of the poem eludes most readers.
Acts of fleeing
- avoidsDeliberately stays away from
- dodgesEvades with quick movement
- evadesAvoids by cunning
- sidestepsEvades by moving aside
slips away · outmaneuvers · circumvents · shakes off · loses · outpaces · outwits · flees
Perplexes or confuses deeply
- puzzlesProblems designed to challenge
- perplexesCauses mental confusion
- confoundsDeeply puzzles or defeats
- bewildersCauses thorough confusion
mystifies · stumps · incomprehensible · inexplicable · unfathomable · inscrutable · enigmatic · obscure
Impossible to acquire
- unreachableCannot be accessed
- unobtainableImpossible to acquire
- out of reachBeyond one's grasp
- slips awayDeparts unnoticed, gradually
falls short · pursuit · aspiration · dream · success · victory · mastery · perfection
Lacking friction, hard-to-grasp
- slickSmooth or craftily adept
- squirmsTwists from discomfort
- wrigglesWrithes with small movements
- slidesMoves smoothly across surface
glides · nimble · agile · quick · deft · lithe · greased · lubricated
No longer recalled
- tip of tongueEdge of speech organ
- blanksUnfilled spaces on forms
- forgetsLoses from memory
- fadesGrows gradually weaker
hazy · vague · fuzzy · recall · recollection · memory lapse · amnesia · fleeting
escapes
Acts of fleeing
sidesteps · slips away · outmaneuvers · circumvents · shakes off · loses · outpaces · outwits · flees · fugitive
baffles
Perplexes or confuses deeply
- puzzlesProblems designed to challenge
- perplexesCauses mental confusion
- confoundsDeeply puzzles or defeats
bewilders · mystifies · stumps · incomprehensible · inexplicable · unfathomable · inscrutable · enigmatic · obscure · impenetrable
unattainable
Impossible to acquire
- unreachableCannot be accessed
- unobtainableImpossible to acquire
- out of reachBeyond one's grasp
slips away · falls short · pursuit · aspiration · dream · success · victory · mastery · perfection · recognition
slippery
Lacking friction, hard-to-grasp
slides · glides · nimble · agile · quick · deft · lithe · greased · lubricated · smooth
forgotten
No longer recalled
- tip of tongueEdge of speech organ
- blanksUnfilled spaces on forms
- forgetsLoses from memory
fades · hazy · vague · fuzzy · recall · recollection · memory lapse · amnesia · fleeting · ephemeral