Dictionary

recluse en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ɹɪˈklʉːs/ (Australia)
• /ˈɹeklʉːs/ (New-Zealand)
• /ɹəˈklʉːs/ (New-Zealand)
• /ɹɪˈklus/ (Canada, General-American)
• /ˈɹeklʉːs/ (Australia)
• /ˈɹɛkluːs/
• /ɹɪˈkluːs/
• /ˈɹɛklus/ (Canada, General-American)

Etymology

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

Meanings

1. (archaic) Sequestered; secluded, isolated.
   • a recluse monk or hermit
   • In meditation deep, recluse / From human converse. 1708, [John Philips], “(please specify the page)”, in Cyder. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], →OCLC:
   • Hermits themſelves are not recluſe enough to ſeclude that ſubtile ſpirit, Vanity: […] 1667, J[ohn] Evelyn, Publick Employment and an Active Life, with Its Appanages, such as Fame, Command, Riches, Conversation, &c. Preferred to Solitude: […], London: […] J. M. for H[enry] Herringman […], →OCLC, page 6:
2. (archaic) Hidden, secret.

Forms

Deriveds

recluseness · reclusely

Synonyms

reclusive

recluse en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ɹɪˈklʉːs/ (Australia)
• /ˈɹeklʉːs/ (New-Zealand)
• /ɹəˈklʉːs/ (New-Zealand)
• /ɹɪˈklus/ (Canada, General-American)
• /ˈɹeklʉːs/ (Australia)
• /ˈɹɛkluːs/
• /ɹɪˈkluːs/
• /ˈɹɛklus/ (Canada, General-American)

Etymology

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

Meanings

1. (archaic) A person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit.
   • The recluse in the fable kept a cat to keep off the rats, and then a cow to feed the cat with milk, and a man to keep the cow and so on. My ambitions also grew like the family of the recluse. 1927-29, M.K. Gandhi, The Story of My Experiments with Truth, translated 1940 by Mahadev Desai, Part I, Chapter xv
   • First, the president’s uncle died in 1985. Kaczynski was publicly revealed as the Unabomber more than a decade later, in 1996, when he was captured; before that, he had lived as a recluse in the Montana wilderness. 2025 July 16, Daniel Dale, “Fact check: Trump tells fictional story about his uncle and the Unabomber”, in CNN, archived from the original on 18 Jul 2025:
2. (archaic, obsolete) The place where a recluse dwells; a place of isolation or seclusion.
   • that day of appearance taken out of the recluse and committed to safe custody 1563 March 30 (Gregorian calendar), John Foxe, Actes and Monuments of These Latter and Perillous Dayes, […], London: […] Iohn Day, […], →OCLC:
3. (US, abbreviation, alt-of, archaic, ellipsis) Ellipsis of recluse spider.
   alt of recluse spider
4. (archaic) See also Thesaurus:recluse

Forms

Deriveds

Texas recluse · recluse spider · brown recluse · reclusive · nonrecluse · reclusion

Hypernyms

person

Relateds

outcast · loner · anthrophobe

Synonyms

aloner · anchorite · hermit · sullen · hermit · shut-in · Miller of Dee · eremite · anchoret · monk · recluse · anchorite · solitary · eremite

Translations (42)

el μονόχνωτος (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · ru отше́льник (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · ang ānsetla (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · cmn 隐士 (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · mi heremita (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · arz حبيس (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · el ερημίτης (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · de Eigenbrötler (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · es recluido (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · grc μονότροπος (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · ga ancaire (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · de Sonderling (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · gd aonaran (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · te తపస్వి (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · nb eremitt (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · uk затві́рник (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · hu remete (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · mi moke (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · uk затво́рник (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · cs samotář (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · de Einsiedler (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · el αναχωρητής (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · ga aonarán (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · cmn 遁世者 (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · tr münzevi (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · es recluso (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · fr reclus (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · uk самі́тник (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · mk о́тшелник (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · te తపస్విని (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · de Eremit (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · cs poustevník (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · ru затво́рник (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · bg отшелник (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · fi erakko (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · ru сыч (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · pt recluso (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · de zurückgezogen lebender Mensch (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · fr recluse (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · uk відлю́дник (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · nl kluizenaar (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit) · mk пу́стиник (a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit)

recluse en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ɹɪˈklʉːs/ (Australia)
• /ˈɹeklʉːs/ (New-Zealand)
• /ɹəˈklʉːs/ (New-Zealand)
• /ɹɪˈklus/ (Canada, General-American)
• /ˈɹeklʉːs/ (Australia)
• /ˈɹɛkluːs/
• /ɹɪˈkluːs/
• /ˈɹɛklus/ (Canada, General-American)

Etymology

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

Meanings

1. (archaic, obsolete, transitive) To shut; to seclude.

Forms