hermit

noun

her·​mit ˈhər-mət 

1

a

: one that retires from society and lives in solitude especially for religious reasons : recluse

b

obsolete : beadsman

2

: a spiced molasses cookie

hermitism

ˈhər-mə-ˌti-zəm 

noun

Synonyms

• anchorite
• eremite
• isolate
• recluse
• solitary

Examples of hermit in a Sentence

St. Jerome is said to have spent two years as a hermit in the desert, searching for inner peace.

Recent Examples on the Web

After the hermit’s death, the farmhouse then served various community purposes, from a teacher’s cottage to a meeting hall, but had been neglected until recently, when the Queen Mother helped the community acquire ownership and renovate it. —Jessica Jungbauer, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2024

Harrelson has a small but impressively loony role as a crazed hermit who claims to anyone who will listen that the end of days is here. —Tim Grierson, Vulture, 14 July 2024

His exhortations are driven by a cynical bluster, a loss of faith in mankind; that seems to be the real reason that he’s abandoned Germany to live as a tropical hermit. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 9 Sep. 2024

The hermit nation transported its special forces fighters on seven Russian ships earlier in October, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said in a press release on Friday. —Yoonjung Seo, CNN, 18 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English heremite, eremite, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin eremita, from Late Greek erēmitēs, from Greek, adjective, living in the desert, from erēmia desert, from erēmos desolate

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing hermit

• hermit crab

Kids Definition

hermit

noun

her·​mit ˈhər-mət 

1

: one that lives apart from others especially for religious reasons : recluse

2

: a spiced molasses cookie