recluse

1 of 2

adjective

re·​cluse ˈre-ˌklüs How to pronounce recluse (audio)
ri-ˈklüs,
ˈre-ˌklüz How to pronounce recluse (audio)
: 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.

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
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Noun
Resolved to continue on her trip for the sake of her son, Sara finds herself in a perilous situation, and is forced to lean on the elusive Issac Reed (Taylor Kitsch), a gruff recluse who lives on the outskirts of Ft. Bridger. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 9 Jan. 2025 The show’s tedious opening hours depict him as a recluse who has hired a collection of incompetent men to find the games’ slap-happy recruiter (Gong Yoo). Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 26 Dec. 2024 This includes brown and black widows and brown recluse. Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 6 Dec. 2024 The Pout-Pout Fish is the story of an unlikely duo: Mr. Fish (Offerman), a pouty recluse, and Pip (Oyama), a high-energy sea dragon. Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for recluse 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of recluse was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near recluse

Cite this Entry

“Recluse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recluse. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

recluse

noun
re·​cluse
ˈrek-ˌlüs,
ri-ˈklüs
: a person who lives away from others
reclusive
ri-ˈklü-siv
-ziv
adjective

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