fugitive means fleeing or running away; escaping. It carries an Arena rating of 1691, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, fugitive ranks #1,120 of 14,322 for Scariest Words, #2,338 of 14,361 for Most Ingenious Words, #2,351 of 14,308 for Most Malleable Words, #2,382 of 14,414 for Most Elegant Words.
fugitive is pronounced /ˈfjuːd͡ʒɪtɪv/.
Why “fugitive” is a great word
Fleeing or having fled, especially from pursuit, danger, or a fixed state; one who does so. From Middle English fugitive, from Old French fugitif, from Latin fugitīvus ('fleeing'), from fugitus, past participle of fugere ('to flee'). Unlike 'refugee,' which implies flight toward sanctuary, or 'transient,' which denotes mere brief passage, a fugitive is defined by the active evasion of capture—the scent of damp earth under a railroad tie, the cold weight of a single coin in a coat pocket, the glimpse of a stranger's face that looks a little too long in the café mirror. It is the condition of anything that cannot be held: movement without rest, a breath held just past its limit, the body as its own exile.
Etymology
From Middle English fugitive, fugityve, fugityf, fugitife, fugytif, fugitif, from Latin fugitīvus.
adj
- Fleeing or running away; escaping.“I found afterwards that he was the chauffeur, who filled the gaps left by a succession of fugitive butlers.”
- Transient, fleeting or ephemeral.
- Elusive or difficult to retain.
noun
- A person who flees or escapes and travels secretly from place to place, and sometimes using disguises and aliases to conceal their identity, as to avoid law authorities in order to avoid an arrest or prosecution, or to avoid some other unwanted situation.““I don't mean all of your friends—only a small proportion—which, however, connects your circle with that deadly, idle, brainless bunch—the insolent chatterers at the opera,[…]the speed-mad fugitives from the furies of ennui, the neurotic victims of mental cirrhosis, the jewelled animals whose moral code is the code of the barnyard—!””
verb
- To render someone a fugitive; to drive into escape or exile.“Her son Thomas was fugitived in the persecution.”
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- fugitivity 89% match — The state of being a fugitive. vs fugitive →
- refugee 86% match — A person seeking refuge (as for shelter or protection), especially in a foreign country, out of fear or prospect of political, religious persecution, war, natural disaster, etc. vs fugitive →
- refuge 86% match — A state of safety, protection or shelter. vs fugitive →
- stowaway 84% match — A person who hides on board a ship, train, etc. so as to get a free passage. vs fugitive →
- fugitiveness 84% match — The quality of being fugitive; evanescence; volatility. vs fugitive →
- incognito 84% match — Without being known; in an assumed character, or under an assumed title; in disguise. vs fugitive →
- outlawry 84% match — A declaration that an individual cannot benefit from the protection of law in a jurisdiction. vs fugitive →
- subterfuge 83% match — An indirect or deceptive device or stratagem; a blind. Refers especially to war and diplomatics. vs fugitive →