: marked by withdrawal from society : solitary
: a person who leads a secluded or solitary life
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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
Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Oct. 2025
This includes brown and black widows and brown recluse.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 11 Oct. 2025
Reviews have skewed negative (a 57% on Rotten Tomatoes) for the film, which follows the elder Day-Lewis as a recluse and former British soldier who has been living in isolation in the woods for two decades when his brother (Sean Bean) unexpectedly shows up.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 5 Oct. 2025
How to identify The legs of a brown recluse span roughly the size of a quarter to a half-dollar.
—Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for recluse
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Noun
While most spiders are harmless, species such as the black widow and brown recluse can pose health risks due to their bites.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Oct. 2025
This includes brown and black widows and brown recluse.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 11 Oct. 2025
Reviews have skewed negative (a 57% on Rotten Tomatoes) for the film, which follows the elder Day-Lewis as a recluse and former British soldier who has been living in isolation in the woods for two decades when his brother (Sean Bean) unexpectedly shows up.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 5 Oct. 2025
How to identify The legs of a brown recluse span roughly the size of a quarter to a half-dollar.
—Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for recluse
Cite this Entry
“Recluse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recluse. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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