definitions

recluse

[ noun rek-loos, ri-kloos; adjective ri-kloos, rek-loos ]
/ noun ˈrɛk lus, rɪˈklus; adjective rɪˈklus, ˈrɛk lus /
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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.

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RELATED WORDS

hermit, solitary, cenobite, monk, nun, ascetic, solitaire, troglodyte, eremite, anchorite

Nearby words

reclinate, reclination, recline, recliner, reclosable, recluse, reclusion, reco-reco, recognition, recognition factor, recognizance

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 forms

non·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

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 Forms

reclusion (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