illusive

adjective

Definition of illusivenext
as in illusory

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of illusive Four intrepid sleuths crack case after case with their unconventional investigative approaches — and illusive fashion, from distracting hats to reassuring blazers. — Fawnia Soo Hoo, HollywoodReporter, 28 May 2025 There is nothing wrong with wanting to be in communication or to lurk on their pages — especially when Venus retrograde links up with illusive Neptune on March 27th. — Lisa Stardust, refinery29.com, 27 Feb. 2025 The month wraps up with a very special cosmic event, as illusive and intuitive Neptune will leave your sign for the first time in nearly 15 years, ingressing into fiery Aries. — Nina Kahn, StyleCaster, 24 Feb. 2025 The ever-illusive Banksy, whose real identity remains a mystery, was not always so secretive, reveals the BBC. — The Editors Of Artnews, ARTnews.com, 16 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for illusive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for illusive
  1. illusory
  2. imaginary
  3. delusive
  4. deceptive
  5. obvious
  6. manifest
  7. misleading
  8. delusory
Adjective
  • Until there is agreement on which share count and which components of enterprise value belong in these calculations, comparability across companies is illusory, and the sector now includes well over a hundred public issuers of very different sizes.
    — Sean Stein Smith, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Instead, Brew believes an ultimate compromise would mean Iran making an illusory comparison to the Strait of Malacca where there is a smaller, voluntary fee system for services rendered and maintenance.
    — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of illusory
Adjective
  • Where travel still leaves room for people The goal isn't to return to some imaginary golden age of travel.
    — Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
  • There isn’t even a drastic generational shift between that imaginary cast and this film’s actual one.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of imaginary
Adjective
  • This isn’t callousness or delusive optimism but, rather, a rebellion against the suffocating expectation that the elderly have foreclosed the possibility of joy.
    — Hillary Kelly, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2024
  • To separate art from its historical framework is futile, and to reject it in an effort to censor past violence is a delusive act of virtue signaling.
    — WSJ, WSJ, 5 July 2022
Definition of delusive
Adjective
  • Meta will be subject to an injunction prohibiting it from making further false, misleading, or deceptive statements around its safety features.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The agency has said deceptive or unfair data practices can violate existing consumer protection laws.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of deceptive
Adjective
  • The comparisons between the start of Ray Allen’s and Klay Thompson’s Miami Heat stories seem obvious.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Yet with no obvious signs of trauma, the researchers couldn’t say what sent the woman to an early grave.
    — Mike McRae August 25, New Atlas, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of obvious
Adjective
  • Two years later, as massive success seemed like the Eagles’ manifest destiny, that tandem cut their bandmates out of a publishing deal, setting themselves up with a never-ending sinecure but setting their original quartet up to crumble.
    — Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The books’ capacious geography felt like a girlish form of manifest destiny.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of manifest
Adjective
  • Blanche is also confronting growing distrust of the Justice Department among judges, who in multiple cases have accused government lawyers of withholding information or misleading courts.
    — Alanna Durkin Richer, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Both made misleading statements when questioned by authorities, according to the lawsuit.
    — Chase Jordan August 27, Charlotte Observer, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of misleading
Adjective
  • That is delusory of course, but it can be fashioned into a victory claim that might well be readily embraced by war-weary and war-wary Russians in the public and among the elite.
    — John Mueller, Foreign Affairs, 29 Nov. 2022
Definition of delusory

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illusive
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Cite this Entry

“Illusive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illusive. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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