: a person who leads a secluded or solitary life
Did you know?
Greta Garbo and Howard Hughes were two of the most famously reclusive celebrities of modern times. She had been a great international star, called the most beautiful woman in the world; he had been an aircraft manufacturer and film producer, with one of the greatest fortunes in the world. It seems that Garbo's reclusiveness resulted from her desire to leave her public with only the youthful image of her face. Hughes was terrified of germs, though that was the least of his problems.
Examples of recluse in a Sentence
Noun
My neighbor is a recluse—I only see him about once a year.
he was sick of cities and crowds, so he decided to go live by himself in the woods as a recluse
Recent Examples on the Web
Matthew Cordes, The Conversation, 6 Apr. 2026
This includes brown and black widows and brown recluse.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 2 Apr. 2026
The villagers start blaming the recluse ‘witch’ of the village who is known to practice black magic.
—William Earl, Variety, 25 Mar. 2026
The villagers start blaming the recluse ‘witch’ of the village who is known to practice black magic.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for recluse
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
The recluse toxin binds to the surface of cells and scoots along it like a lawn mower, clipping the heads off molecules on this surface.
—Matthew Cordes, The Conversation, 6 Apr. 2026
This includes brown and black widows and brown recluse.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 2 Apr. 2026
The villagers start blaming the recluse ‘witch’ of the village who is known to practice black magic.
—William Earl, Variety, 25 Mar. 2026
The villagers start blaming the recluse ‘witch’ of the village who is known to practice black magic.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for recluse
Cite this Entry
“Recluse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recluse. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
