illusiveness
Hard to grasp
The quality of being difficult to grasp, pin down, or hold onto.
Illusiveness suggests something that slips away when approached directly—a memory, a meaning, a feeling that seems present but resists capture: The illusiveness of happiness makes it hard to pursue deliberately.
Related to elusiveness but emphasizes the deceptive or phantomlike nature of what escapes.
Avoiding direct response
- slipperyLacking friction, hard-to-grasp
- ungraspableImpossible to seize
- dodgyQuestionable in character
- shiftySeeming dishonest or evasive
elusory · equivocal · ambiguous · vague · indirect · noncommittal · cagey · slipperiness
Delicate beyond earthly measure
- intangibleNot physically present
- impalpableUnable to be touched
- insubstantialLacking physical or material substance
- nebulousUnclear and formless
vaporous · gossamer · wispy · shadowy · spectral · ghostly · phantasmal · dreamlike
Lasting very briefly
- transientTemporary, soon departing
- fleetingPassing very quickly
- evanescentTending to vanish quickly
- momentaryLasting very briefly
passing · vanishing · fading · fugitive · short-lived · transitory · impermanent · quicksilver
Puzzling and obscure
- crypticObscure in meaning
- inscrutableImpossible to understand
- mysteriousBeyond easy comprehension
- unfathomableBeyond comprehension or measurement
arcane · sphinx-like · ineffable · unknowable · obscure · opaque · impenetrable · puzzling
evasive
Avoiding direct response
- slipperyLacking friction, hard-to-grasp
- ungraspableImpossible to seize
- dodgyQuestionable in character
shifty · elusory · equivocal · ambiguous · vague · indirect · noncommittal · cagey · slipperiness · uncatchable
ethereal
Delicate beyond earthly measure
- intangibleNot physically present
- impalpableUnable to be touched
- insubstantialLacking physical or material substance
nebulous · vaporous · gossamer · wispy · shadowy · spectral · ghostly · phantasmal · dreamlike · wraithlike
ephemeral
Lasting very briefly
- transientTemporary, soon departing
- fleetingPassing very quickly
- evanescentTending to vanish quickly
momentary · passing · vanishing · fading · fugitive · short-lived · transitory · impermanent · quicksilver · mercurial
enigmatic
Puzzling and obscure
- crypticObscure in meaning
- inscrutableImpossible to understand
- mysteriousBeyond easy comprehension
unfathomable · arcane · sphinx-like · ineffable · unknowable · obscure · opaque · impenetrable · puzzling · baffling
illusivenesstangibility
Quality of being touchable
solidity · concreteness · substantiality · corporeality · materiality
illusivenesspermanence
Quality of lasting indefinitely
stability · constancy · durability · fixedness · steadfastness
illusivenessclarity
State of being understandable
definiteness · distinctness · explicitness · precision · obviousness
illusion, elusive, prelude, delusion, delude, illusory, allusion, collusion, allude