reclusive

adjective

re·​clu·​sive ri-ˈklü-siv 

-ziv

1

: seeking solitude : retiring from society

a reclusive neighbor

While Stephen King is far from reclusive, he doesn't spend much time promoting his horror-filled novels.

—Sarah Lyall

2

: marked by seclusion or retirement : solitary

… sit under the reclusive calm of the acacia tree.

—H. E. Bates

reclusively adverb

reclusiveness noun

Examples of reclusive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Lucas’ name doesn’t appear once, the reclusive filmmaker pushing the spotlight onto his team. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026

In the trailer, released Tuesday, Jake Gyllenhaal stars as a reclusive architect who moves to a small coastal town to complete his latest project. — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026

One day, another comic appears alongside hers, drawn by Kyomoto (Rokka Okada), a reclusive student who won’t come to school due to social anxiety. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2026

Cruz plays the wife whose disillusionment becomes the story’s emotional core, opposite Bardem as an architect drawn into building a survivalist bunker for a reclusive tech billionaire. — Clayton Davis, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for reclusive

• abusive
• allusive
• collusive
• conclusive
• conducive
• delusive
• diffusive
• elusive
• exclusive
• extrusive
• illusive
• inclusive