n. 1 runaway, escapee, deserter, refugee, Archaic runagate Many fugitives from political oppression seek asylum in the UK
adj. 2 fleeing, escaped, running away, runaway They police are able to devote little time to tracing fugitive children 3 fleeting, passing, brief, short-lived, transitory, transient, ephemeral, evanescent, momentary, volatile, fugacious She once entertained the fugitive notion of becoming an opera singer