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

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

Dawn, who is unable to work following decades of mental and physical health issues, says her experiences transformed her from a "very sociable child" into a "recluse".

From BBC • Jan. 29, 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

“By the way,” he said, “we’ve had a problem lately with brown recluse spiders in the facility.”

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

Related Words

• hermit