: marked by withdrawal from society : solitary
: a person who leads a secluded or solitary life
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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
Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
The distance also makes Crisis Kid a chance for Corbin, an infamous recluse, to reintroduce himself after years of anxiety, paranoia, and self-destructive behavior intensified by drugs and alcohol.
—Eamon Whalen, Rolling Stone, 26 June 2025
Even in the best of times the 31-year-old is a bit of a recluse, and rather shy.
—Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 June 2025
This includes brown and black widows and brown recluse.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for recluse
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Noun
The majority of brown recluse bites will heal after three weeks if not severe.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
The distance also makes Crisis Kid a chance for Corbin, an infamous recluse, to reintroduce himself after years of anxiety, paranoia, and self-destructive behavior intensified by drugs and alcohol.
—Eamon Whalen, Rolling Stone, 26 June 2025
Even in the best of times the 31-year-old is a bit of a recluse, and rather shy.
—Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 June 2025
This includes brown and black widows and brown recluse.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for recluse
Cite this Entry
“Recluse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recluse. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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