recluse

C2 Topic:People & Society

US /ɹɪˈkluːs/ See IPA manual

Freq #25489

Meanings

1

noun
A person who chooses to live alone and avoid other people.

After his wife died, he became a recluse and rarely left the house.
2

adj
Living alone and away from other people; secluded.

The writer led a recluse life in a cabin in the mountains.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a person who chooses to... hermit anchorite solitary

2 adj · living alone and away from... reclusive

More aloneranchoret eremite monkshut-insullen

Word family

Forms recluses

Derived forms nonrecluserecluselyreclusenessreclusionreclusive

Related forms anthrophobeloneroutcast

Simplified etymology

Recluse entered English in the Middle English period and ultimately comes from Latin claudere, “to shut.” It came to denote someone who shuts themselves away from others.

Etymology

From Old French reclus, past participle of reclure, from Latin reclūdere (“to disclose, to open”), from re- + claudō (“close”).

reclus Old French reclūdō Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

People & Society

External links

# recluse

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** /ɹɪˈkluːs/
**Frequency rank:** 25489

## Meanings
1. A person who chooses to live alone and avoid other people.
2. Living alone and away from other people; secluded.

## Examples
- After his wife died, he became a recluse and rarely left the house.
- The writer led a recluse life in a cabin in the mountains.

## Synonyms
- aloner
- anchoret
- anchorite
- eremite
- hermit
- monk
- reclusive
- shut-in
- solitary
- sullen

## Derived Forms
- nonrecluse
- reclusely
- recluseness
- reclusion
- reclusive

## Related Forms
- anthrophobe
- loner
- outcast

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: reclus
- Root: reclūdō

## Etymology
From Old French reclus, past participle of reclure, from Latin reclūdere (“to disclose, to open”), from re- + claudō (“close”).

## AI Etymology
Recluse is from Old French reclus, past participle of reclure, from Latin reclūdere (“to disclose, to open”), from re- + claudō (“close”). In present-day use, it can mean a person who chooses to live alone and avoid other people, or living alone and away from other people; secluded. Derived formations include nonrecluse, reclusely, recluseness, reclusion, and reclusive.

## Topics
- People & Society

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