Reclusive

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈkluːsɪv/

Definitions

1. Preferring to avoid contact with others and live in isolation or solitude
2. Tending to withdraw from society and seek seclusion rather than engage with other people
3. Characterized by a strong inclination to live apart from others and shun social interaction and public engagement

Etymology: "Reclusive" is simply "recluse" with the adjective-forming ending "-ive" added, so the story really belongs to the root. "Recluse" comes from Latin "reclusus," the past participle of "recludere," meaning "to shut up" or "to enclose," built from "re-" ("back" or "open," here functioning as a intensifying or opposite-action prefix) and "claudere," "to close." A recluse, then, is literally someone who has been shut away. The Latin root travelled through Old French, which gave English the "recluse" noun, and English later attached its own adjective ending to form "reclusive." The "-ive" suffix descends from Latin "-ivus," which passed through Old French "-if" and Middle English "-yf" before settling into the modern "-ive" spelling. The result is a word that describes a temperament: someone who chooses to be shut away from society rather than being confined by force.

Synonyms: isolated, withdrawn, secluded

Antonyms: sociable, outgoing