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Elusive vs Exclusive - What's the difference?

elusive | exclusive |

As adjectives the difference between elusive and exclusive

is that elusive is evading capture, comprehension or remembrance while exclusive is excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions.

As a noun exclusive is

information (or an artefact) that is granted or obtained exclusively.

elusive

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Evading capture, comprehension or remembrance.
  • The elusive criminal was arrested
  • * {{quote-book
  • , year=1910 , author=Jack London , title=Lost Face , chapter=6 citation , passage=Charley chased the elusive idea through all the nooks and crannies of his drowning consciousness.}}
  • Rarely seen.
  • *
  • Difficult to describe.
  • A precise definition of diarrhea is elusive (Robbin's pathology, 8th ed)

    exclusive

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (literally) Excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions.
  • (figuratively) Referring to a membership organisation, service or product: of high quality and/or reknown, for superior members only. A snobbish usage, suggesting that members who do not meet requirements, which may be financial, of celebrity, religion, skin colour etc., are excluded.
  • Exclusive''' clubs tend to serve ' exclusive brands of food and drinks, in the same exorbitant price range, such as the 'finest' French châteaux.
  • exclusionary
  • whole, undivided, entire
  • ''The teacher's pet commands the teacher's exclusive attention.

    Antonyms

    * inclusive * non-exclusive

    Derived terms

    * exclusively * exclusiveness * exclusive or * exclusive right * exclusivity * mutually exclusive

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Information (or an artefact) that is granted or obtained exclusively.
  • ''The editor agreed to keep a lid on a potentially distastrous political scoop in exchange for an exclusive of a happier nature
  • (grammar) A word or phrase that restricts something, such as only'', ''solely'', or ''simply .