cloistered

adjective

clois·​tered ˈklȯi-stərd How to pronounce cloistered (audio)
1
: being or living in or as if in a cloister
cloistered nuns
2
: providing shelter from contact with the outside world
the cloistered atmosphere of a small college
the cloistered life of the monastery

Example Sentences

She leads a private, cloistered life in the country. He spent most of his adult life cloistered in universities.
Recent Examples on the Web Based on Spain’s first case of vampirism documented by the Catholic Church, a young woman is sent in 1755 to a cloistered monastery where several novices suffer a strange blood disease. John Hopewell, Variety, 5 Apr. 2023 Don’t expect to see the bakers though—the nuns remain cloistered and sell their wares from behind a rotating door. Nico Avalle, Bon Appétit, 21 Dec. 2022 But other areas imposed a less cloistered life on women under the U.S.-backed republic, offering freedoms that many embraced. Nabih Bulos, Chicago Tribune, 30 Nov. 2022 Masako, a Harvard graduate, suffered depression in the cloistered imperial life. Yuri Kageyama, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2022 Always cloistered and remote, the court is now impenetrable. New York Times, 3 July 2022 Like European neo-fascists elsewhere, the Brothers revile immigration and grandstand over a cloistered, narrow vision of national identity. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 26 July 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cloistered.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cloistered was in 1581

Dictionary Entries Near cloistered

Cite this Entry

“Cloistered.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cloistered. Accessed 4 Jun. 2023.

More from Merriam-Webster on cloistered

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