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

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 ->

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# 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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recluse

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