hermit

noun

her·​mit ˈhər-mət 

1

a

: one that retires from society and lives in solitude especially for religious reasons : recluse

b

obsolete : beadsman

2

: a spiced molasses cookie

hermitism

ˈhər-mə-ˌti-zəm 

noun

Synonyms of hermit

• recluse
• solitary
• isolate

Examples of hermit in a Sentence

St. Jerome is said to have spent two years as a hermit in the desert, searching for inner peace.

Recent Examples on the Web

In it, Day-Lewis plays a hermit in the North England woods who’s visited by an old friend (Sean Bean) sent to bring him back to his son. —ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026

But, just like Elmer Fudd, there was one beast that constantly eluded the mighty hermit hunter and actually took great pleasure in harassing him. —Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2026

At the same time, she becomes threatened by a minor scandal involving her dopey husband (Jack Lowden), all while dealing with her dysfunctional family, including the serial-cheater father (Woody Harrelson) who reenters her life and a brother (Spike Fearn) who has become something of a hermit. —Esther Zuckerman, Time, 12 Dec. 2025

On Monday morning, well-wishers, many wearing rain-coats, lined the roads behind a metal railing under drizzly skies as his convoy made its way through the winding roads near Beirut to the mountain-top tomb of a 19th century hermit now recognized as Saint Charbel Makhlouf. —NPR, 1 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English heremite, eremite, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin eremita, from Late Greek erēmitēs, from Greek, adjective, living in the desert, from erēmia desert, from erēmos desolate

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing hermit

• hermit crab

Rhymes for hermit

• thermit

Kids Definition

hermit

noun

her·​mit ˈhər-mət 

1

: one that lives apart from others especially for religious reasons : recluse

2

: a spiced molasses cookie