recluse

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“
A He was described as a recluse, who sometimes wore women's dresses in public, the newspaper said, citing neighbours.

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Definitions (11)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. noun A person who withdraws from the world to live in seclusion and often in solitude.
  2. adjective Withdrawn from the world; reclusive.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (4)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (3)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (2)

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Examples (50)

  • A He was described as a recluse, who sometimes wore women's dresses in public, the newspaper said, citing neighbours. —  National Nine News
  • No need to be "disturbed", not sure why I used the word recluse, but you're right it was the wrong term to use. —  All - Digital Spy - Entertainment and Media News
  • After years living as a recluse, 31-year-old James is attempting to follow in his superstar father's footsteps. —  ContactMusic Ltd | Latest News
  • After years living as a recluse, James is attempting to father's footsteps and is getting plenty of help from the former Beatle. —  dailyindia.com News Feed
  • Jean-Christophe Lafaille climbed eleven tops of more than 8.000 meters, the majority as a recluse or by new ways.
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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

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Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English, from Old French reclus, from Latin reclūsus, past participle of reclūdere, to shut up : re-, re- + claudere, to close.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. 1. from Middle English recluse, n., from Old French reclus, French reclus, feminine recluse =Provencal rectus =Spanish Portuguese recluso =Italian richiuso, from Late Latin reclusus, shut up (Middle Latin reclusus, masculine, reclusa, feminine, a recluse), past participle of recludere, shut up, L. unclose, open, etc.: see reclude. 2. from Middle English recluse, from Old French recluse, a convent, monastery, from Late Latin reclusa, feminine of reclusus, shut up: see above.
  2. from Middle English reclusen; from recluse, adjective
 

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/rəˈklus/
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