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
  • Yet these promises of a self-running state are illusory, because AI is never truly autonomous.
    — Seva Gunitsky, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The algorithms selected patterns that were strikingly similar to those found in nature, so this illusory effect could be a major evolutionary driver.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of illusory
Adjective
  • What matters most is being comfortably inside the path and away from the hard edges, not standing on an imaginary line drawn through its middle.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Each nutty denunciation of his imaginary tormentors includes a plea for a presidential pardon.
    — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 3 Oct. 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
  • In past elections, deceptive political robocalls have resulted in significant fines associated with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the federal law at the center of the petition.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The film chronicled Gortner’s youth as a Pentecostal preacher in the American South and exposed the deceptive practices used to bilk believers out of their money.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of deceptive
Adjective
  • The tents with a bathroom in them, a seemingly obvious upgrade from those without (there’s a communal washroom), have toilets that aren’t completely enclosed.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Put the paths of 1991, 2009 and 2027 on a globe, and the approximately 120-degree westward jump between successive members becomes immediately obvious.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 6 Oct. 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
  • The women, many of whom were first-time surrogates, say they were given misleading or incomplete information about the couple’s family situation and intentions.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Low primary turnout can also lead to unexpected results – and these results can create misleading perceptions of the election.
    — Robert Boatright, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 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

Browse Nearby Words

illusions
illusive
illusory
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Cite this Entry

“Illusive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/illusive. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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