recluse.

A person who lives largely apart from other people or avoids ordinary social contact.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• solitary recluse
• local recluse

On the page

The local recluse rarely visited the village.

The novel’s recluse kept a careful diary.

She respected the recluse’s wish for privacy.

Usage notes

Primary category: gothic. Forms: Singular recluse; plural recluses. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.