anchorite
/ˈæŋkəraɪt/
noun
- A person who lives alone for religious reasons, often in a small room or cell, and spends most of their time in prayer and meditation.
- The village respected the anchorite for his devotion, though they rarely saw him.
- In medieval times, an anchorite would be walled into a room with only a small window for food and prayer.
- The anchorite spent decades in a tiny cell attached to the church, rarely speaking to anyone.
- A person who lives a very solitary life, avoiding contact with others, not necessarily for religious reasons.
- After retiring, he became something of an anchorite, living alone in a remote cabin with no phone or internet.
- The writer lived like an anchorite for years, emerging only to deliver his manuscripts.
- She wasn't a religious anchorite, but she preferred the quiet of her garden to the noise of the city.