anchorite

noun

ˈaŋ-kə-ˌrīt How to pronounce anchorite (audio)
Definition of anchoritenext
as in hermit
a person who lives away from others many Christian saints were anchorites who removed themselves from the world to focus on their spirituality

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of anchorite Forest monks, anchorites, and hermits have made similar sacrifices in the name of God. — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2025 The original Anthology Film Archives, on Lafayette Street in Manhattan, was designed with high black partitions between each seat, so that viewers could wall themselves in to the screen like anchorites. — Rachel Cusk, Harper's Magazine, 9 Sep. 2023 Why were anchorites such as Simeon Stylites — who lived atop a pillar — regularly consulted on all sorts of practical problems? — Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 9 June 2023 Perhaps our lives now more closely resemble ancient anchorites, religious recluses who lived alone in rooms adjoining churches, said Cathleen Kaveny, a Catholic theologian at Boston College. — Daniel Burke, CNN, 5 Apr. 2020 In other instances, anchorites became wise people to visit and from whom to seek council. — Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2019 But there are certainly similarities between the anchorite and the handmaid. — Annie Sutherland, Quartzy, 13 June 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anchorite
hermit
Noun
  • In The Death of Robin Hood, Hugh Jackman plays the bandit of Nottingham, aged and retired to a hermit's life in the wilderness.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The hermit in me liked to stay home, the little vampire loved to step out.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of hermit

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anchoring
anchorite
anchorites
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Cite this Entry

“Anchorite.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anchorite. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on anchorite

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about anchorite

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