- Running away or fleeing, as from the law.
- Lasting only a short time; fleeting: "[His] house and burial place ... should be visited by all who profess even a fugitive interest in political economy" (John Kenneth Galbraith).
- Difficult to comprehend or retain; elusive: fugitive solutions to the problem.
- Given to change or disappearance; perishable: fugitive beauty.
- Of temporary interest: fugitive essays.
- Tending to wander; vagabond.
- One who flees; a refugee.
- Something fleeting or ephemeral.
[Middle English fugitif, from Old French, from Latin fugitīvus, from fugitus, past participle of fugere, to flee.]
fugitively fu'gi·tive·ly adv.fugitiveness fu'gi·tive·ness n.





