isolation

American  

[ahy-suh-ley-shuhn, is-uh-] / ˌaɪ səˈleɪ ʃən, ˌɪs ə- /

noun

• isolations
  plural

1. an act or instance of isolating.

2. the state of being 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.

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isolation British  

/ ˌaɪsəˈleɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of isolating or the condition of being isolated

2. (of a country, party, etc) nonparticipation in or withdrawal from international politics

3. med

   1. social separation of a person who has or is suspected of having a contagious disease Compare quarantine

   2. ( as modifier )

      an isolation hospital

4. sociol a lack of contact between persons, groups, or whole societies

5. social psychol the failure of an individual to maintain contact with others or genuine communication where interaction with others persists

6. without regard to context, similar matters, etc

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Synonym Usage

See solitude.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reisolation
  noun
• anti-isolation
  adjective
• postisolation
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• isolations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of isolation

First recorded in 1825–35; isolate + -ion

Explanation

Isolation means completely alone, like the stranded skiers who were in total isolation after an avalanche stranded them at the top of a mountain. People who live in isolation are completely cut off from the rest of the world, like the hermit who lives in a lonely mountain cabin because no one understands his desire to collect thimbles. A really contagious illness can land patients in isolation at their local hospital, kept separate from the rest of the hospital so they don't share their disease with the other patients. A country can exist in isolation, left alone because other nations don't agree with its policies.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

isolation isolations

"It will be a combination of economic isolation, like the world has never seen before," Bessent told conservative television network Newsmax.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

For her own safety, he added, there was a "substantial chance" that she would be held in an isolation wing "for years to come" because of the notoriety of her case.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

But just keeping the lights on, preventing a slide into isolation, and continuing protection work with vulnerable communities, especially women, is seen as essential.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

On the bouncing folk-rock number “Liberty Tree,” which again mentions Bobby, she sings, “I was alone with my thoughts / In an outline of chalk,” illustrating how isolation can feel like death.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

She hadn't been gone more than a few seconds when he felt a great sense of isolation sweep over him.

From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville

File on 4 Investigates the use of internal isolations in secondary schools in England and hears from parents and students who say such techniques are affecting their mental health.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

One is designed to maximize space for Harden to operate pick-and-rolls or create offense out of isolations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 16, 2023

It features some bird motion — pecking isolations, swooping flocks.

From New York Times ● Jun. 16, 2022

As if to underscore the characters’ roiling emotions and the rally’s heated atmosphere, the actors sometimes deploy stylized movements, including abrupt arm isolations.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 14, 2022

Yet they serve to break down isolations of sympathy, all sorts of physical and intellectual sluggishness and the development of unsocial preoccupations of many sorts...

From First and Last Things by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells

Related Words

• confinement
• desolation
• remoteness
• segregation
• solitude