isolation

[ahy-suh-ley-shuhn, is-uh-]

noun

1. an act or instance of isolating. isolating.

2. the state of being isolated. isolated.

3. the complete separation from others of a person suffering from contagious or infectious disease; quarantine.

   Synonyms: segregation

4. the separation of a nation from other nations by isolationism.

5. Psychoanalysis.,  a process whereby an idea or memory is divested of its emotional component.

6. Sociology.,  social isolation.

Other Word Forms

• anti-isolation adjective
• postisolation adjective
• reisolation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of isolation¹

First recorded in 1825–35; isolate + -ion

Synonym Study

See solitude.

Example Sentences

“You could lose your whole job and your career and everything, but also just the isolation of it all is truly sad, which really helped in all of his scenes following that moment,” says Parker.

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Another aspect investigated by the team was the action of the compounds in isolation.

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"Spending hours in hotels trying to entertain yourself was tough. That kind of isolation can wear on you," added James.

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“Driven by isolation, psychosis and an all-consuming obsession with his mother, Gein’s perverse crimes birthed a new kind of monster that would haunt Hollywood for decades.”

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For him, "the oxygen of conspiracy theories is isolation".

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Related Words

• confinement 
• desolation 
• remoteness www.thesaurus.com
• segregation 
• solitude