recluse

1 of 2

adjective

re·​cluse ˈre-ˌklüs 

ri-ˈklüs,

ˈre-ˌklüz 

: marked by withdrawal from society : solitary

recluse

2 of 2

noun

: a person who leads a secluded or solitary life

Did you know?

Greta Garbo and Howard Hughes were two of the most famously reclusive celebrities of modern times. She had been a great international star, called the most beautiful woman in the world; he had been an aircraft manufacturer and film producer, with one of the greatest fortunes in the world. It seems that Garbo's reclusiveness resulted from her desire to leave her public with only the youthful image of her face. Hughes was terrified of germs, though that was the least of his problems.

Synonyms

Noun

• anchorite
• eremite
• hermit
• isolate
• solitary

Examples of recluse in a Sentence

Noun

My neighbor is a recluse—I only see him about once a year.

he was sick of cities and crowds, so he decided to go live by himself in the woods as a recluse

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The film deposits its heroine, Frida (played by Naomi Ackie), a cocktail waitress, into an island retreat belonging to the tech mogul Slater King (a coolly menacing Channing Tatum), who has become a bit of a recluse after a reputation-tarnishing scandal. —Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 23 Aug. 2024

This includes brown and black widows and brown recluse. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 12 Aug. 2024

Giacalone, whom investigators describe as a grim-faced recluse, was at the Southfield Athletic Club, glad-handing acquaintances and even strangers. —John Wisely, Detroit Free Press, 30 July 2024

Perhaps inevitably, he’s earned a reputation in some quarters as a recluse, walled off in his own kind of fortress. —David Sims, The Atlantic, 30 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Anglo-French reclus, literally, shut away, from Late Latin reclusus, past participle of recludere to shut up, from Latin re- + claudere to close — more at close entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing recluse

• brown recluse spider

Kids Definition

recluse

noun

re·​cluse

ˈrek-ˌlüs,

ri-ˈklüs

: a person who lives away from others

reclusive

ri-ˈklü-siv

-ziv

adjective