cloistered

[ kloi-sterd ]

adjective

1. secluded from the world; sheltered:

   a cloistered life.

   Synonyms: aloof, isolated, withdrawn

2. having a cloister or cloisters.

ˈcloistered

/ ˈklɔɪstəd /

adjective

1. secluded or shut up from the world
2. living in a monastery or nunnery
3. (of a building, courtyard, etc) having or provided with a cloister

Other Words From

• non·cloistered adjective
• un·cloistered adjective
• well-cloistered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cloistered¹

First recorded in 1575–85; cloister + -ed ²

Example Sentences

“It is cloistered, but with an underlying power.”

From Los Angeles Times

The rich, dim interiors of Cohn’s cloistered world give way to the gaudy, golden posturing of Trump’s living spaces.

From Los Angeles Times

After being cloistered in a basement cage for nearly a year, Tonka just wanted to be outside.

From Los Angeles Times

The sisters’ vows of chastity and poverty and the air of secrecy that shrouds their cloistered lives are all intriguingly antithetical to modern Western values of sex, money and fame.

From New York Times

Every so often, she turns up wearing a nun’s habit, cloistered in a convent where things are never as they seem, as is the case in the slickly diverting, undercooked shocker “Immaculate.”

From New York Times

Related Words

• reclusive
• sheltered