Meanings
plural troglodytes
- A member of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves or holes, a caveman.
- broadlyAnything that lives underground.
The cave was populated by albino scorpions, blind salamanders, and other troglodytes.
1 more example
Inhabited as early as the Gallo-Roman era, the caves of the troglodytes are slighted in guidebooks, naturally overshadowed by the chateaus of the kings.
1997 September 11, Josephine Humphreys, “The Loire Valley, Land of Kings and Troglodytes”, in The New York Times Style Magazine - derogatoryA reclusive, reactionary or out-of-date person, especially if brutish.
Blair brought out the febrile intensity of Stanhope, wiring himself into his ever more circumscribed troglodyte world, speculating moodily on the worm that went down when it thought it was coming up. Robert Philp thought Blair's ...
2013, John Rentoul, Tony Blair: Prime Minister, Faber & Faber, →ISBN
Synonyms & antonyms
nounone who lives in solitude
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekτρωγλοδύτης“one who dwells in holes”
- LatinTrōglodytae“cave-dwelling people”
- Englishtroglodyte
Learned borrowing from Latin Trōglodytae (“cave-dwelling people”), from Ancient Greek τρωγλοδύτης (trōglodútēs, “one who dwells in holes”), from τρώγλη (trṓglē, “hole”) + δύω (dúō, “to get into”).
More words from Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek τρωγλοδύτης
- τρωγλοδύτης (trōglodútēs)member of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves
Chinese Mandarin 穴居人
- 穴居人 (xuéjūrén)member of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves
Dutch holbewoner, holenmens
- holbewonermember of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves
- holenmensmember of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves
Estonian koopaelanik
- koopaelanikmember of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves
Finnish luolamies, troglodyytti
- luolamiesmember of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves
- troglodyyttimember of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves
- fossiilireclusive or out-of-date person
French troglodyte, troglodyte
- troglodytemember of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves
- troglodyteanything that lives underground
German Höhlenmensch, Troglodyt
- Höhlenmenschmember of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves
- Troglodytmember of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves
Greek τρωγλοδύτης, τρωγλοδύτης
- τρωγλοδύτης (troglodýtis)anything that lives underground
- τρωγλοδύτης (troglodýtis)reclusive or out-of-date person
Japanese 穴居人, 隠者
- 穴居人 (kekkyojin)member of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves
- 隠者 (inja)person who chooses not to keep up to date
Latvian troglodīts, alu cilvēks
- troglodītsmember of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves
- alu cilvēksmember of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves
Norwegian Bokmål huleboer
- huleboermember of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves
Polish troglodyta
- troglodytareclusive or out-of-date person
Portuguese troglodita, troglodita
- trogloditamember of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves
- trogloditareclusive or out-of-date person
Romanian troglodit, troglodită
- trogloditmember of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves
- trogloditămember of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves
- trogloditreclusive or out-of-date person
- troglodităreclusive or out-of-date person
Russian пеще́рный челове́к, троглоди́т
- пеще́рный челове́к (peščérnyj čelovék)member of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves
- троглоди́т (troglodít)member of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves
- троглоди́т (troglodít)reclusive or out-of-date person
- отше́льник (otšélʹnik)reclusive or out-of-date person
- отше́льник (otšélʹnik)person who chooses not to keep up to date
Spanish cavernícola, troglodita
- cavernícolamember of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves
- trogloditamember of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves
- trogloditaanything that lives underground
- trogloditareclusive or out-of-date person
Swedish grottmänniska, troglodyt
- grottmänniskamember of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves
- troglodytmember of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves
- grottmänniskareclusive or out-of-date person
- stofilreclusive or out-of-date person
Turkish mağara adamı, mağara adamı
- mağara adamımember of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves
- mağara adamıreclusive or out-of-date person
Ukrainian троглоди́т, троглоди́т
- троглоди́т (trohlodýt)member of a supposed prehistoric race that lived in caves
- троглоди́т (trohlodýt)reclusive or out-of-date person
Cite this entry
troglodyte. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/troglodyte
“troglodyte.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/troglodyte. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “troglodyte,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/troglodyte.
Source: troglodyte on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.