recluse
n. C1 Advanced US //ɹɪˈkɫus// UK //ɹɪklˈuːs// recluse
n. a person who lives alone and avoids other people. You use this to describe someone who prefers to stay away from society.
n. a person who lives in seclusion and avoids social contact. Often used to describe someone who has chosen a solitary lifestyle for religious, philosophical, or health reasons.
The writer lived as a recluse in the mountains.
After retiring from public life, the famous actor became a recluse, rarely leaving his home or speaking to the press.
The philosopher spent decades as a recluse, dedicating his life to the study of ancient texts and the cultivation of a private garden.
From Old French reclus, past participle of reclure, from Latin reclūdere (“to disclose, to open”), from re- + claudō (“close”).