shut-in

/'ʃʌt'in/

Thân thiện

An elderly shut-in enjoys watching birds from her sunny window.

Definition

1. Noun:

   • A person who is confined indoors, typically due to chronic illness, disability, or infirmity: A "shut-in" refers to someone who is largely or completely housebound because of a long-term health condition or physical limitation.

2. Adjective:

   • Confined indoors, especially due to illness or disability: Describes a state of being unable or unlikely to leave one's home.
   • Somewhat introverted or socially withdrawn: Describes a person who is inclined to avoid social contact and stay to themselves, though this usage is less clinical.

Usage Examples

• Noun: The community volunteers deliver meals to elderly shut-ins.After his accident, he became a shut-in for several months.

• Adjective: The shut-in patient received daily visits from a nurse.Her shut-in tendencies made it hard for her to make new friends.

Advanced Usage

• "to feel shut in": to feel confined or trapped, often emotionally, not just physically.

Variants and Related Words

• Shut-in (as a compound noun/adjective): The hyphenated form is standard when used as a noun or adjective before another noun (e.g., a shut-in person).
• Housebound (adj): Confined to the house, similar in meaning but often implies a temporary or specific cause.
• Recluse (n): A person who lives a solitary life and tends to avoid others; this implies a stronger, often voluntary, separation from society than "shut-in."

Synonyms

• Noun: Invalid, convalescent, housebound person.
• Adjective: Confined, housebound, isolated, withdrawn.

Related Phrases

• To be shut in: The phrasal verb form describing the action of confinement.

Related Idioms

• Shut oneself in: To deliberately isolate oneself from others.

Học thuật

Noun

1. someone who is incapacitated by a chronic illness or injury

Adjective

1. confined usually by illness
2. somewhat introverted

Từ đồng nghĩa

• invalid
• homebound
• housebound
• introvertish