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recluse

[rek-loos, ri-kloos, ri-kloos, rek-loos] / ˈrɛk lus, rɪˈklus, rɪˈklus, ˈrɛk lus /
NOUN
person who does not want social contact
Synonyms
Antonyms


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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But years of awful press had turned him into a recluse.

From Slate Aug. 6, 2026

Goetz himself is still alive, a squirrel-feeding recluse who lives in virtual poverty so as not to have to pay the massive judgment against him.

From The Wall Street Journal Feb. 6, 2026

Ed says she wasn't a recluse as some have suggested and was very sociable with the people she knew.

From BBC Oct. 20, 2025

Born in Virginia, D'Angelo was something of a recluse and only periodically surfaced to release music, most of which was received favorably by fans and critics.

From Barron's Oct. 14, 2025

There was more left to explore, but suddenly it seemed like a waste of time; it was impossible that anyone could still be living here, even the most misanthropic recluse.

From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs

Seed:s runs a physical space dubbed the "mole tunnel", where recluses can go to rest, have quiet time and seek counselling.

From BBC May 26, 2023

The quartet’s exhilarating brand of emo, primarily from their stellar album “I Became Birds,” blends the fiery rage of hardcore with the oddball existentialism of indie recluses Neutral Milk Hotel.

From Washington Post Nov. 22, 2021

Social isolation has certainly increased in Japan, where half a million young people live as “hikikomori” — recluses who don’t leave their homes.

From New York Times Mar. 23, 2019

Yet such withdrawal can feed on itself, depriving recluses of the social interaction that is important to mental health, undermining relationships and careers and contributing to economic hardship.

From Economist Jun. 14, 2018

Instead of starting junior high school, I lived like the Victorian recluses I read about.

From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston




Vocabulary lists containing recluse


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