Meanings
adjectiverecluse (comparative more recluse, superlative most recluse)
comparative more recluse · superlative most recluse
- archaicSequestered; secluded, isolated.
a recluse monk or hermit
2 more examples
Hermits themſelves are not recluſe enough to ſeclude that ſubtile ſpirit, Vanity: […]
1667, J[ohn] Evelyn, Publick Employment and an Active Life, with Its Appanages, such as Fame, Command, Riches, Conversation, &c. Preferred to Solitude: […], London: […] J. M. for H[enry] Herringman […], →OCLC, page 6In meditation deep, recluse / From human converse.
1708, [John Philips], “(please specify the page)”, in Cyder. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], →OCLC
nounrecluse (plural recluses)
plural recluses
- archaicA person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit.
The recluse in the fable kept a cat to keep off the rats, and then a cow to feed the cat with milk, and a man to keep the cow and so on. My ambitions also grew like the family of the recluse.
1927-29, M.K. Gandhi, The Story of My Experiments with Truth, translated 1940 by Mahadev Desai, Part I, Chapter xv1 more example
First, the president’s uncle died in 1985. Kaczynski was publicly revealed as the Unabomber more than a decade later, in 1996, when he was captured; before that, he had lived as a recluse in the Montana wilderness.
2025 July 16, Daniel Dale, “Fact check: Trump tells fictional story about his uncle and the Unabomber”, in CNN, archived from the original on 18 Jul 2025 - archaicobsoleteThe place where a recluse dwells; a place of isolation or seclusion.
that day of appearance taken out of the recluse and committed to safe custody
1563 March 30 (Gregorian calendar), John Foxe, Actes and Monuments of These Latter and Perillous Dayes, […], London: […] Iohn Day, […], →OCLC - USabbreviationarchaicellipsisEllipsis of recluse spider.
- archaicSee also Thesaurus:recluse
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit.
Similar
Broader
More synonyms by meaning
nounone who lives in solitude
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinreclūdere“to disclose, to open”
- Old Frenchreclus
- Englishrecluse
From Old French reclus, past participle of reclure, from Latin reclūdere (“to disclose, to open”), from re- + claudō (“close”).
More words from Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek μονότροπος
- μονότροπος (monótropos)a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
Bulgarian отшелник
- отшелник (otšelnik)a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
Chinese Mandarin 隐士, 遁世者
- 隐士 (yǐnshì)a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
- 遁世者a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
Czech poustevník, samotář
- poustevníka person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
- samotářa person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
Dutch kluizenaar
- kluizenaara person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
Finnish erakko
- erakkoa person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
French reclus, recluse
- reclusa person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
- reclusea person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
German Einsiedler, Eremit
- Einsiedlera person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
- Eremita person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
- Sonderlinga person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
- Eigenbrötlera person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
- zurückgezogen lebender Menscha person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
Greek ερημίτης, αναχωρητής
- ερημίτης (erimítis)a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
- αναχωρητής (anachoritís)a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
- μονόχνωτος (monóchnotos)a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
Hungarian remete
- remetea person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
Irish ancaire, aonarán
- ancairea person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
- aonarána person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
Māori moke, heremita
- mokea person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
- heremitaa person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
Norwegian Bokmål eremitt
- eremitta person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
Portuguese recluso
- reclusoa person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
Russian отше́льник, затво́рник
- отше́льник (otšélʹnik)a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
- затво́рник (zatvórnik)a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
- сыч (syč)a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
Scottish Gaelic aonaran
- aonarana person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
Spanish recluso, recluido
- reclusoa person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
- recluidoa person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
Turkish münzevi
- münzevia person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
Ukrainian самі́тник, відлю́дник
- самі́тник (samítnyk)a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
- відлю́дник (vidljúdnyk)a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
- затво́рник (zatvórnyk)a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
- затві́рник (zatvírnyk)a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with recluse
usereduceabuseproducebruceintroducelooseexcusereproducereusegoosemisuseinducespruceRusdiffuseZeusdeucetrucelucemoussededuceseduceoveruse
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
recluse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/recluse
MLA
“recluse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/recluse. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “recluse,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/recluse.
Source: recluse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.