Definition

1. Noun:
   • One who lives in solitude: A person who lives alone and apart from society, often in a secluded place.
   • One retired from society for religious reasons: A person who withdraws from ordinary social life for religious contemplation and ascetic practice.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The old hermit lived in a small cabin deep in the forest, far from any town.
  • In the 3rd century, many Christian hermits retreated to the Egyptian desert to pray and meditate.

Advanced Usage

• "Hermit kingdom": A term used to describe a country that is isolated from the rest of the world, both politically and economically.
  • For decades, the nation was considered a hermit kingdom, with very little contact with the outside world.
• "Hermit crab": A type of crab that uses empty seashells to protect its soft abdomen. (This is a compound noun listed here as it is a common zoological term directly incorporating the word).
  • We found a hermit crab hiding in a conch shell on the beach.

Variants and Related Words

• Hermitage (n): A place where a hermit lives; a secluded residence or monastery.
  • The poet sought peace in his rural hermitage.
• Hermitic (adj): Relating to or characteristic of a hermit; solitary. (Also: ).
  • He led a hermetic life of study and reflection.
• Anchorite (n): A religious hermit; synonym for a hermit, especially in a Christian context.
• Recluse (n): A person who lives a solitary life and tends to avoid other people. (A close synonym, though not always for religious reasons).

Synonyms

• Solitary: A person who lives alone.
• Ascetic: A person who practices severe self-discipline and abstains from indulgence, often for religious reasons.
• Eremite: A hermit, especially a Christian hermit.

Related Phrases

• To live the life of a hermit: To live in complete solitude.
  • After his retirement, he essentially began to live the life of a hermit, rarely leaving his home.

Related Idioms

• "A hermit's existence": A way of life characterized by extreme solitude and withdrawal from society.
  • The writer was known for his hermit's existence, emerging only to publish a new book.

Noun

1. one who lives in solitude
2. one retired from society for religious reasons