: marked by withdrawal from society : solitary
: 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
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2024
So why is ‘Satoshi Nakamoto’ – the pseudonym adopted by the inventor of Bitcoin Bitcoin -2.3% and the blockchain – such a resolute recluse?
—Sandy Carter, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024
The fortuitous appearance of a double – the depressive recluse Dom (also played by Abel) – seems to offer the perfect decoy.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 30 Aug. 2024
The upcoming series is an anthology exploring the wild and highly unique life of Lee Ralph, a former pro skateboarder turned folk hero and recluse.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 19 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for recluse 
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Noun
And all Holly has to do is pull a little con on ’80s starlet Mariah McKay (Turner), a rich recluse who has faded into a Norma Desmond-like obscurity.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2024
So why is ‘Satoshi Nakamoto’ – the pseudonym adopted by the inventor of Bitcoin Bitcoin -2.3% and the blockchain – such a resolute recluse?
—Sandy Carter, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024
The fortuitous appearance of a double – the depressive recluse Dom (also played by Abel) – seems to offer the perfect decoy.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 30 Aug. 2024
The upcoming series is an anthology exploring the wild and highly unique life of Lee Ralph, a former pro skateboarder turned folk hero and recluse.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 19 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for recluse
Dictionary Entries Near recluse
Cite this Entry
“Recluse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recluse. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share