recluse

[ noun rek-loos, ri-kloos; adjective ri-kloos, rek-loos ]

/ noun ˈrɛk lus, rɪˈklus; adjective rɪˈklus, ˈrɛk lus /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR recluse ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

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

adjective re·cluse [ri-kloos, rek-loos] /rɪˈklus, ˈrɛk lus/. Also re·clu·sive.

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

characterized by seclusion; solitary.

Nearby words

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

Related formsnon·re·clu·sive, adjectiveun·re·cluse, adjectiveun·re·clu·sive, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for recluse

Lee is not a recluse, but she famously stopped granting interviews in 1964.
Harper Lee Makes a Surprise Appearance at an Alabama Literary Luncheon|Mary McDonagh Murphy|May 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He was not a recluse, however, as the documents and electronic chips recovered by the SEALs from his lair revealed.
Peter Bergen’s Manhunt: The Decade-Long Hunt for Osama bin Laden|Bruce Riedel|April 29, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The affront so hurt Allan that he became a Beverly Hills recluse, and died in 1999 of liver cancer at the age of 62.
King of the Hollywood Hedonists|Robert Hofler|February 27, 2010|DAILY BEAST
But Uchitel became a heavy drug user and, increasingly, a recluse in his sprawling Anchorage estate.
Rachel Uchitel: Mob Princess?|Gerald Posner|January 18, 2010|DAILY BEAST

Renato: I would either still be designing or living as a recluse in Europe throwing pottery.
The Rock Stars of Yeast and Flour|Katie Workman|July 7, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Let it not be supposed that Lady Eustace, during these summer weeks, was living the life of a recluse.
The Eustace Diamonds|Anthony Trollope
He may talk to them—he is no recluse; but he must not talk too much about worldly matters.
The Soul of a People|H. Fielding
“Perhaps the recluse has taught them not to visit his hut without his leave,” I remarked.
On the Banks of the Amazon|W.H.G. Kingston
The beautiful Recluse Island has a picturesque villa, while all about it rise high mountains.
America, Volume IV (of 6)|Joel Cook
He was outwardly of the world, but in spirit he was always a recluse.
The Household of Sir Thomas More|Anne Manning

British Dictionary definitions for recluse

recluse

/ (rɪˈkluːs) /

noun

a person who lives in seclusion

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

adjective

solitary; retiring

Derived Formsreclusion (rɪˈkluːʒən), nounreclusive, adjective

Word Origin for recluse

C13: from Old French reclus, from Late Latin reclūdere to shut away, from Latin re- + claudere to close

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for recluse

recluse

c.1200, "person shut up from the world for purposes of religious meditation," from Old French reclus (fem. recluse) "hermit, recluse," also "confinement, prison; convent, monastery," noun use of reclus (adj.) "shut up," from Late Latin reclusus, past participle of recludere "to shut up, enclose" (but in classical Latin "to throw open"), from Latin re-, intensive prefix, + claudere "to shut" (see close (v.)).