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

With a thick white-gray coat that blends into their surroundings, these reclusive felines live on high, rocky mountains with some of the harshest conditions on Earth, according to the WWF. —Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 27 Jan. 2026

Seven strange tales intersect in a small town populated by eerie figures, including a reclusive doctor and a man who claims ants live in his ears. —Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 19 Jan. 2026

Glaser said to the famously reclusive megastar. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 12 Jan. 2026

The novel tells, among other things, the story of a friendship between Helen DeWitt (at certain points apparently fictionalized as a reclusive, suicidal writer named Rachel Zozanian) and the tabloid journalist Ilya Gridneff. —Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 1 Jan. 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