fugitive Definition

fugitive
noun

1. A person who is fleeing someone or something, usual some kind of authority, such as the law, an army, a political system, etc.

Thesaurus: refugee, runaway, deserter, escapee, truant, outlaw, outcast.

adj

1. Fleeing away.
2. Lasting only briefly; fleeting.

Example: a fugitive smile
Thesaurus: elusive, transitory, flitting, fleeting, momentary, evanescent; Antonym: fixed.

Etymology: 17c: French, from Latin fugitivus.