What does cloistering mean?
"Cloistering" is the act of confining someone—or oneself—within an enclosed, secluded space, originally in the sense of a monk or nun living within a monastery's cloister. From this religious origin it broadened to describe any withdrawal from the outside world: a writer cloistering in a remote cottage to finish a book, or a family cloistering itself away from public attention. The word carries connotations of deliberate retreat, quietude, and sometimes sheltered naivety, since a "cloistered" existence implies little contact with ordinary life. It derives from the Latin claustrum, meaning an enclosed place, the same root behind "claustrophobia." While the adjective "cloistered" is more common in everyday speech, the verb form remains useful in literary and descriptive writing for evoking intentional seclusion, whether sacred or secular.
The state or practice of being confined within a cloister; seclusion from the world.
"Her cloistering ended when she took up a teaching post in the city."
To shut up or confine in a cloister or secluded place; to withdraw into isolation.
"The monks were cloistered from all contact with visitors."
Every time you feel claustrophobic, you're feeling the same Latin root as the monks' cloister — claustrum, 'an enclosed place.'
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cloistering
Cloistering comes from the verb "cloister," which entered English in the Middle Ages from Old French "cloistre," ultimately from Latin claustrum, "barrier" or "enclosed place," derived from claudere, "to close." The term originally referred specifically to the covered walkways around a monastic courtyard and, by extension, to monastic enclosure itself. Cognates sharing the root include "close," "closet," "claustrophobia," and "claustral."
Related word forms
How cloistering is actually used
Most often encountered as the gerund or participle of the verb 'cloister.' The verb form is somewhat formal and literary; the adjective 'cloistered' is far more common than the verb in everyday usage. Carries connotations of deliberate retreat, piety, or sheltered removal from worldly affairs.
Easily confused with cloistering
Clustering means gathering things closely together, while cloistering means shutting away or isolating them.