recluse

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A person who lives alone and rarely goes out or meets other people.

   Grammar: Countable: one recluse, two recluses. Often used with 'a bit of a' or 'become'.

   Patterns

   • a recluse
   • become a recluse
   • live as a recluse

   After his wife died, he became a recluse and stopped answering the door.

   She was a bit of a recluse in her later years, but she still wrote to her old friends.

   The famous writer was a recluse who rarely gave interviews.

2. 2adjectivenot comparableformalliterary

   Living alone and avoiding other people; solitary.

   Grammar: Formal and literary. Usually before a noun: a recluse life. The more common adjective is 'reclusive'.

   Patterns

   • a recluse life
   • recluse habits

   He led a recluse life in a small cabin in the woods.

   Her recluse habits worried her family.

Word forms

Common combinations

become a recluse

After the scandal, she became a recluse and moved to the countryside.

a bit of a recluse

He's a bit of a recluse — he prefers books to parties.

live as a recluse

For ten years he lived as a recluse, seeing no one but his brother.

a virtual recluse

Since losing his job, he has been a virtual recluse.

Synonyms and how they differ

hermit

A hermit often chooses isolation for religious or spiritual reasons, while a recluse may simply avoid people for personal reasons.

loner

A loner is someone who prefers being alone but still functions in society; a recluse is more extreme and may stay at home.

solitary person

A neutral phrase for someone who likes being alone; recluse suggests a stronger, often longer-term withdrawal.

Opposites

Word family

reclusive adjective

Preferring to live alone and avoid other people: a reclusive millionaire.

reclusion noun

The state or life of being a recluse.

Commonly confused: recluse or recluse vs reclusive?

Practice

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