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A recluse is someone in isolation who hides away from the attention of the public, a person who lives in solitude, i.e. seclusion from intercourse with the world. The word is from the Latin recludere, which means "shut up" or "sequester".

A person may become a recluse for many reasons: a celebrity may seek to escape the attentions of her or his fans; a misanthrope may be unable to tolerate human society; a survivalist may be practicing self-sufficiency; also a criminal who hides away from the rest of the community to avoid being detected by the police. It can also be due to psychological reasons, like: apathy, an autism spectrum disorder, a phobia, schizoid personality type, or various anxiety disorders.

It should be noted that this practice may not be voluntary as one may become a recluse due to illness. Some may become a recluse due to a physical deformity that makes their outward appearance unsettling to others. A person may also become a recluse for religious reasons, in which case s/he is usually referred to as a hermit or an anchorite.^{[citation needed]}

Reclusiveness does not necessarily connote geographical isolation. A recluse may live in a crowded city, but infrequently leave the security of her or his home. However, isolated and sparsely populated states (e.g., Montana, Wyoming, and Alaska) often harbour recluses, who are often seeking complete escape from civilization^{[citation needed]}.

In Japan, an estimated 1.2 million people suffer from psychological problems which cause reclusive behavior. The phenomenon of "Hikikomori" or "social withdrawal" has become a major problem, often blamed on Japan's education system and social pressure to succeed.

The following is a list of famous individuals who have disappeared from the public eye for a lengthy period of time, or have continually lived a reclusive lifestyle.

• Charles-Valentin Alkan, 19th century composer and virtuoso pianist who rarely ventured outside his Paris apartment in the latter half of his life.
• Syd Barrett, Pink Floyd guitarist. From his departure from Pink Floyd up to his death he kept a low profile, recording only two solo albums, granting no interviews and doing no live shows.
• Marlon Brando, famous method actor, described as very reclusive - especially after his son murdered his daughter's boyfriend, and his daughter committed suicide five years later.
• Tod Browning, American film actor and director whose career spanned both the silent and talkie movie eras.
• Vashti Bunyan, English folk artist. Since the release of her debut, Just Another Diamond Day, she spent 30 years out of spotlight, living a secluded life in Ireland till the release of her second album Lookaftering
• Henry Cavendish, British scientist noted for his discovery of hydrogen.
• Jack Chick, Christian fundamentalist comic book publisher. Has given only one interview since 1975 and has not allowed a photograph to be taken.
• The Collyer brothers.
• Henry Darger, American writer, who created a 15,143-page illustrated book discovered only after his death.
• Emily Dickinson, poet.
• Doris Duke, philanthropist.
• Bob Dylan, musician who went into a 20-month seclusion after a motorcycle accident.
• Rod Evans, original singer of rock band Deep Purple. He has not been seen publicly for more than 25 years.
• Enzo Ferrari, founder of Italian super-car maker Ferrari.
• Bobby Fischer, the former world chess champion. His reclusiveness in later years was due to his status as a fugitive from justice, due to violating economic sanctions against Serbia, then Yugoslavia, when he played a rematch there against Boris Spassky. Fischer has reportedly terminated friendships with people who gave out his contact information.
• Greta Garbo, actress, who famously said, "I want to be alone."
• Glenn Gould, Canadian pianist, who later in life only talked to others by phone or letter.
• Alexander Grothendieck, German mathematician, winner of the Fields Medal. Retired from field at age 42. Left his home in 1991; exact whereabouts are not known although he is believed to be living in southern France or Andorra. Does not entertain any visitors.
• Setsuko Hara, Japanese actress. Nicknamed the " Greta Garbo of Japan ".
• Thomas Harris, author of Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs.
• George Harrison, songwriter who went on hiatus several times during his life, particularly during the '90s until his death in 2001.
• Howard Hughes, movie producer and aircraft entrepreneur, who suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder.
• John Hughes, film director of classic eighties teen films. Has not given or allowed an interview since 1994.
• Theodore Kaczynski, the Unabomber. Prior to his arrest and trial, Kaczynski lived alone in a remote cabin in Montana, abandoning virtually all twentieth-century technology, even writing his entire Unabomber Manifesto using an old-model typewriter.
• The band Kraftwerk, influental German electronic music group. The band's almost yearly output of music during the 1970's dwindled during throughout the 80's, which saw only two full studio albums. "Their legendary Düsseldorf studio, Kling Klang, has no telephone, no fax machine, no receptionist and returns all mail unopened. They have not attended a photo shoot since 1978." [1].
• Stanley Kubrick, film-maker. He was very secretive about his life and work, although close friends and family all regarded him as a normal person, contrary to the public myths surrounding him.
• Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird.
• John Lennon, songwriter who hid from the public eye to raise his second child until 1980.
• Georges Lentz, composer.
• Thomas Ligotti, author.
• Terrence Malick, film director, has made only four feature films in 32 years. Contract stipulates that no current photos of him are to be taken for promotional purposes and he does not have to do media to promote the film (he doesn't).
• Cormac McCarthy, author.
• Morrissey, former lead singer of The Smiths.
• Grigori Perelman, Russian mathematician, winner of the Fields Medal.
• Christopher Pike (author), bestselling author of young adult and children's fiction.
• Thomas Pynchon, author. Pynchon has found an excellent way to preserve his privacy on top of granting no interviews and avoiding public appearances: no photographs of him have knowingly been taken since the early 1960s. Thus, no one is really sure what he looks like. However, he provided his voice to two Simpsons episodes.
• J. D. Salinger, author of The Catcher in the Rye. Salinger has lived in rural New Hampshire since shortly after the novel's publication, has given no interviews and published no new writing since the short story "Hapworth 16, 1924" appeared in The New Yorker in 1965.
• Sly Stone, funk musician.
• Don Van Vliet, aka Captain Beefheart, who retired from music in 1982 and has not been seen publicly for upwards of 10 years. He is rumored to have multiple sclerosis.
• Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin and Hobbes. He gave few interviews during the strip's run, refused to pose for promotional pictures after 1985 and even today maintains a low profile in the Cleveland suburb where he grew up.
• Brian Wilson, singer and songwriter for The Beach Boys.

• Avoidant personality disorder
• Hermit
• Hikikomori
• Misanthrope

• Article discussing "Hikikomori" in Japan

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1913 Webster's Dictionary.