recluse

adjective re·cluse \ ˈre-ˌklüs , ri-ˈklüs , ˈre-ˌklüz \

Definition of recluse

:marked by withdrawal from society :solitary

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.

Origin and Etymology of recluse

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

recluse

noun

Definition of recluse

:a person who leads a secluded or solitary life

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Examples of recluse in a Sentence

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 of recluse from the Web

The Man in the High Castle’—a recluse trying to reset the course of history.

— annabelle timsit, The Atlantic, "Postcard From Dresden and India's Pilgrims: The Week in Global-Affairs Writing," 18 Aug. 2017
The Man in the High Castle’—a recluse trying to reset the course of history.

— annabelle timsit, The Atlantic, "Postcard From Dresden and India's Pilgrims: The Week in Global-Affairs Writing," 18 Aug. 2017
The Man in the High Castle’—a recluse trying to reset the course of history.

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Evidence of climate change abounds amid extreme weather in the Pacific Northwest," 14 Aug. 2017
A stunning defeat to Holly Holm followed and Rousey became a virtual recluse, before reappearing in December to be demolished by Nunes.

— martin rogers, USA TODAY, "Ronda Rousey nowhere to be found as UFC celebrates women in sport," 6 July 2017
Brown recluse spider: When bitten, there is delayed pain and an ulcer on the skin from necrotic poison that takes a while to heal.

— angel biasatti, star-telegram.com, "Beware of summertime bites and stings," 27 June 2017
A 75 year-old recluse tries to keep others out of her home in Saskia Rifkin's psychodrama.

— john defore, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Can Hitler Happen Here?': Film Review," 16 June 2017
Maudie Sally Hawkins portrays Maud Lewis in the Sony Pictures Classics biopic, depicting the true story of an unlikely romance between recluse Everett Lewis who hires a fragile yet determined woman named to be his housekeeper.

— arlene washington, The Hollywood Reporter, "In Theaters This Weekend: Reviews of 'Cars 3,' 'All Eyez on Me' and More," 16 June 2017
Maudie Sally Hawkins portrays Maud Lewis in the Sony Pictures Classics biopic, depicting the true story of an unlikely romance between recluse Everett Lewis who hires a fragile yet determined woman named to be his housekeeper.

— arlene washington, The Hollywood Reporter, "In Theaters This Weekend: Reviews of 'Cars 3,' 'All Eyez on Me' and More," 16 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'recluse.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.