recluse

American  

[rek-loos, ri-kloos, ri-kloos, rek-loos] / ˈrɛk lus, rɪˈklus, rɪˈklus, ˈrɛk lus /

noun

1. a person who lives in seclusion or apart from society, often for religious meditation.

2. Also a religious voluntary immured in a cave, hut, or the like, or one remaining within a cell for life.

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adjective

1. shut off or apart from the world; living in seclusion, often for religious reasons.

2. characterized by seclusion; solitary.

recluse British  

/ rɪˈkluːʒən, rɪˈkluːs /

noun

1. a person who lives in seclusion

2. a person who lives in solitude to devote himself to prayer and religious meditation; a hermit, anchorite, or anchoress

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adjective

1. solitary; retiring

Other Word Forms

• nonreclusive adjective
• reclusion noun
• reclusive adjective
• unrecluse adjective
• unreclusive adjective

Etymology

Origin of recluse

1175–1225; Middle English < Old French reclus < Late Latin reclūsus, past participle of reclūdere to shut up, equivalent to re- re- + -clūd-, combining form of claudere to close + -tus past participle suffix, with dt > s

Explanation

A recluse lives alone, works alone, eats alone, and generally stays away from other people. Anti-social old hermits are recluses, as are a lot of students during exam time. In the early 13th century, a recluse was a person who shut out the world to go meditate on religious issues. But nowadays recluses can think about whatever they want while they're sitting in solitude — they're simply people who shy away from social interaction and live secluded lives. Or think of the Brown Recluse spider, who likes to hide out in dark old boots or undisturbed corners of the basement.

Example Sentences

As Boo Radley, a mysterious recluse in “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Duvall was on screen for less than five minutes at the film’s end and had no lines.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026

Xu, an online megaposter but real-life recluse, has rarely spoken with reporters and hasn’t been photographed in public for nearly a decade.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 14, 2025

Born in Virginia, D'Angelo was something of a recluse and only periodically surfaced to release music, most of which was received favorably by fans and critics.

From Barron's • Oct. 14, 2025

“He is a recluse who cut off contact with our family and now lives in squalor,” she writes.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2025

I became more and more of a recluse, avoiding our old haunts for fear of running into him.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

Related Words

• hermit