- a person who is fleeing, as from prosecution, intolerable circumstances, etc.; a runaway: a fugitive from justice;a fugitive from a dictatorial regime.
- having taken flight, or run away: The Fugitive Slave Act was part of the Compromise of 1850 that led the United States even closer to civil war.
- fleeting; transitory; elusive: fugitive thoughts that could not be formulated.
- changing color as a result of exposure to light and chemical substances present in the atmosphere, in other pigments, or in the medium.
- dealing with subjects of passing interest, as writings; ephemeral: fugitive essays.
- wandering, roving, or vagabond: a fugitive carnival.
- a person who flees
- a thing that is elusive or fleeting
- fleeing, esp from arrest or pursuit
- not permanent; fleeting; transient
- moving or roving about
