recluse

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

Updated on: 20 May 2018

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

in the meaning defined above

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

Tepper is expected to be more outspoken that the relatively recluse Richardson, who hasn't granted an interview with the media in more than a decade.

— steve reed, chicagotribune.com, "Panthers have 'definitive agreement' to sell NFL team to David Tepper," 16 May 2018
Kentucky All-American center Bill Spivey died a recluse in Costa Rica, having been kicked off the UK team months after leading it to the 1951 NCAA title.

— gregg doyel, Indianapolis Star, "Doyel: Supreme Court says you can't stop progress, or legalized betting," 14 May 2018
Chouinard, typically a recluse, took to the airwaves to bash Trump.

— author: david gelles, Anchorage Daily News, "Patagonia v. Trump: Inside a battle over public lands," 6 May 2018
Lamarr’s intriguing life — and her tragic end as a recluse — is the subject of the documentary Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story.

— ale russian, PEOPLE.com, "Who Was Hedy Lamarr? All About the Tragic Film Star and Secret Inventor in Tonight's Timeless," 25 Mar. 2018
The bomber, Theodore Kaczynski, was a mathematics professor turned recluse whose crudely fashioned bombs killed three people and injured 24 others over a 17-year period beginning in 1978.

— manny fernandez, serge f. kovaleski and john ismay, New York Times, "For Austin Bomb Investigators, Each New Blast Offers New Clues," 20 Mar. 2018
Far from being a recluse shut up with whirring machinery, Pappalardo had a bouncy greeting for everyone who walked through the shop door.

— jane ford-stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "He was a white knight who rescued many things beloved by West Allis families," 17 Apr. 2018
And then there’s the lovely part of social media that everyone, famous or recluse, has to deal with: trolls.

— mariano vivanco; fashion editor: joanna hillman, Harper's BAZAAR, "Blake Lively Interviews Gigi Hadid on Social Media, Self-Love, and Women Supporting Women," 11 Apr. 2018
In 2016, after Clark’s Trading Post held open auditions to find someone to play the unkempt recluse with a bushy beard, the new Wolfman had to watch the video to learn from Farrand’s example.

— steve annear, BostonGlobe.com, "‘Everybody loved him’: The ‘Wolfman’ at Clark’s Trading Post in N.H. has died," 4 Apr. 2018

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.