reclusive

adjective

re·​clu·​sive ri-ˈklü-siv 

-ziv

1

: seeking solitude : retiring from society

a reclusive neighbor

While Stephen King is far from reclusive, he doesn't spend much time promoting his horror-filled novels.

—Sarah Lyall

2

: marked by seclusion or retirement : solitary

… sit under the reclusive calm of the acacia tree.

—H. E. Bates

reclusively adverb

reclusiveness noun

Examples of reclusive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

China props up the isolated nation's economy to prevent a refugee crisis and because the reclusive country serves as a buffer between China and U.S. ally South Korea, home to tens of thousands of American troops. —Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 May 2025

In order to spot Neptune, stargazers will need to get their hands on a good pair of binoculars or a telescope, which will reveal the reclusive world as a blueish point of light. —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 7 May 2025

Monica Vitti stars as the reclusive queen of an anonymous European country in the mid-19th century who has been mourning the assassination of her regal husband 10 years prior. —Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 6 May 2025

The Mets could make that offer because the team is now owned by one of the richest men in the country, Steve Cohen, a hedge-fund billionaire with a reputation on Wall Street for being reclusive and rapacious. —Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 5 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for reclusive

• abusive
• allusive
• collusive
• conclusive
• conducive
• delusive
• diffusive
• elusive
• exclusive
• extrusive
• illusive
• inclusive