Meaning & use
reclusive
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Preferring to live alone and avoid contact with other people.
Grammar: Can come before a noun (a reclusive author) or after a verb (he became reclusive).
Patterns
- become reclusive
- a reclusive someone
The reclusive author refused every interview for thirty years.
After his wife died, he became increasingly reclusive.
She lived a reclusive life in a cottage at the edge of the forest.
Word forms
| comparative | more reclusive |
|---|---|
| superlative | most reclusive |
Common combinations
- reclusive millionaire
- The reclusive millionaire rarely left his estate.
- become reclusive
- She became reclusive after the fame wore off.
- reclusive artist
- The reclusive artist painted only at night.
- reclusive lifestyle
- He chose a reclusive lifestyle in the mountains.
- notoriously reclusive
- The singer is notoriously reclusive.
Synonyms and how they differ
- solitary
- Solitary describes being alone, often by circumstance, while reclusive suggests a deliberate withdrawal from society.
- withdrawn
- Withdrawn describes someone who is quiet and cut off emotionally, but not necessarily living apart.
- hermit-like
- Hermit-like is more vivid and suggests extreme isolation, while reclusive is a standard descriptive word.
- antisocial
- Antisocial often means harmful or hostile toward others, whereas reclusive only means avoiding company.
Opposites
Word family
- recluse noun
- a person who lives alone and avoids others
- reclusively adverb
- in a way that avoids contact with others
- reclusiveness noun
- the quality of being reclusive
Commonly confused: reclusive or exclusive?
reclusive vs exclusive
Exclusive means limited to certain people or not shared, not avoiding other people. A reclusive person avoids company.
Practice
The ___ novelist never attends parties and rarely answers the door.
Choose one answer.
Reclusive fits someone who avoids contact with others. Sociable and talkative are the opposite, and generous does not match the behavior.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “reclusive”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.