verb
adjective
-
unusually reserved, introverted, or shy
-
secluded or remote
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of withdrawn
First recorded in 1610–20, for the adjective
Explanation
Quiet loners are withdrawn — that's a word for people who keep to themselves to such an extent that it seems a little unhealthy. We can all be withdrawn sometimes, especially when we're sad or depressed about something. Some people get withdrawn when they're angry. A withdrawn person can be hard to find, and even if they're around, hard to talk to — withdrawn people don't like to talk, or they try to talk as little as possible. A person who is withdrawn from the rest of the world for a long period of time is a recluse — an extremely solitary, withdrawn person.
Vocabulary lists containing withdrawn
In the Mood? 100 Words to Describe Emotions
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100 SAT words Beginning with W,X,Y, and Z
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"The Scholarship Jacket" by Marta Salinas
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The row recalls the controversy over Trinidadian writer Jamir Nazir's The Serpent in the Grove, whose Commonwealth Short Story prize was initially withdrawn in July over allegations that it was written with generative AI.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
When Shelley Beattie lost her hearing as a child, she became withdrawn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
He writes that the rule will have an “obvious deterrent effect on student enrollment,” and notes that dozens of international students have already withdrawn from their programs.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
A recommendation that can be withdrawn and a payment that can’t be canceled don’t pose comparable risks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Johnny knew he had no chance of leaving Charlestown until the few hundred fresh men who had been rowed over to hold the Neck had been withdrawn.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
