What does evasible mean?
"Evasible" is a rare formal adjective meaning capable of being evaded, avoided, or escaped. It describes the thing that can be dodged rather than the one doing the dodging — an obligation, a question, a danger, or a difficulty might all be described as evasible if they can plausibly be sidestepped. The word derives from the Latin verb evadere, meaning "to escape or get out of," the same root behind "evade," "evasion," and "evasive." Because it is uncommon outside legal and academic prose, writers often reach for more familiar alternatives such as "avoidable" or "escapable," but "evasible" offers a precise, Latinate nuance when that precision is wanted. Its antonyms are words like "inescapable" and "unavoidable." Readers should take care not to confuse it with "evasive," which characterizes deliberate avoidance by a person or reply rather than the susceptibility of a thing to being avoided.
adjectiveCapable of being evaded or avoided; able to be escaped or sidestepped.
- Capable of being evaded, avoided, or escaped.
"The lawyer argued that the question was evasible and refused to answer it directly."
"The trap was carefully laid so that no part of it would be evasible."
"He chose his words deliberately, ensuring that every question put to him was evasible."
Rare enough to stump most spell-checkers, "evasible" is the passive counterpart of "evasive": not the dodger, but the thing that can be dodged.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of evasible
"Evasible" comes from the Latin verb evadere, formed from e- ("out of") plus vadere ("to go"), meaning to escape or get away. Late Latin formed the adjective evasibilis, from which English borrowed "evasible," likely in the early modern period alongside related words such as "evade" and "evasion." It shares this root with "invade," "pervade," and "wade" (via Germanic cognates), all tracing back to the Indo-European root *weh₂d-, "to go."
How evasible is actually used
A rare, formal word found chiefly in legal, philosophical, and academic writing; it is far less common than its cousin "evasive" and may be unfamiliar even to educated readers.
Easily confused with evasible
"Evasive" describes someone or something deliberately avoiding or dodging (an evasive answer), while "evasible" describes something that can be avoided or escaped.