Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Seeking or preferring seclusion or isolation.
  • adjective Providing seclusion.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Affording retirement from society; recluse.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Affording retirement from society.
  • adjective Disposed to avoid the company of other people; living like a recluse{1}; not sociable; -- of people.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Of, characterized by, or preferring privacy and isolation; secluded.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective providing privacy or seclusion
  • adjective withdrawn from society; seeking solitude

Etymologies

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Examples

  • It was the first public comment by the Loughners – who have been described as reclusive by neighbours – since Saturday's shootings, in which six people were killed and 14 injured during a public meeting in Tucson.

    Arizona shooter's family express sorrow as Obama flies into Tucson 2011

  • For a group that had been described as reclusive, the Touch had been strangely willing to endure scrutiny by a total stranger.

    Blood Test Jonathan Kellerman 1986

  • For a group that had been described as reclusive, the Touch had been strangely willing to endure scrutiny by a total stranger.

    Blood Test Jonathan Kellerman 1986

  • For a group that had been described as reclusive, the Touch had been strangely willing to endure scrutiny bya total stranger.

    Blood Test Kellerman, Jonathan 1986

  • For a group that had been described as reclusive, the Touch had been strangely willing to endure scrutiny by a total stranger.

    Blood Test Jonathan Kellerman 1986

  • Those names sound roughly similar to the way neighbours in Bilal Town, a suburb of Abbottabad, referred to the reclusive men who lived next door.

    The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed GRAEME SMITH 2011

  • Perelman has been described as a reclusive genius with a history of refusing big prizes.

    FOXNews.com 2010

  • He is routinely described as a reclusive, shadowy figure because he avoids the limelight, but I know him and he is a straightforward, extremely bright businessman.

    Home | Mail Online 2010

  • I've always regretted that they had to call the reclusive author in Field of Dreams "Terrence Mann"

    Liblogs.ca latest blog entries 2010

  • For years, Woody Johnson was known as the reclusive billionaire owner of the Jets.

    NYT > Home Page By GREG BISHOP 2010

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