evasive
/ɪˈveɪsɪv/adjective
evasive is spelled E-V-A-S-I-V-E: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,462nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, evasive means “Tending to avoid speaking openly or making revelations about oneself” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in evasive?
| Letters | 7: E-V-A-S-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 27,462nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is evasive?
Evasive appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,462nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce evasive?
- /ɪˈveɪsɪv/
Evasive has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-evasive.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of evasive
- more evasive comparative
- most evasive superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does evasive mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Tending to avoid speaking openly or making revelations about oneself.
evasive behaviour
- 2
Directed towards avoidance or escape
take evasive action
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Evasive in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | évasif |
| German | vorsichtig, zugeknöpft, glatt wie ein Aal sein , ausweichend |
| Portuguese | esquivo |
| Spanish | evasivo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does evasive come from?
From French évasif, from Latin ēvādō.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).