isolation

American  

[ahy-suh-lay-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.

---

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

---

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

Belgal remains in isolation at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn with a bullet still lodged in his neck, according to his lawyers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

And yet, despite all the tirades thrown Tanden’s way, the isolation doesn’t bother her.

From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026

There are many causes of isolation in China.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

I suggest, unoriginally, that what we call the West emerged from, and is sustained by, the continuing tension between Athens and Jerusalem, not either in isolation from the other.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

With a growing sense of isolation, he answered the question: NO.

From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart

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

They’re porous defensively and have a boring, predictable offense largely consisting of alternating one-on-one isolations between their “Big Three” most every trip down the court.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2026

Because they spent their early teenage years internalizing Spears’s dancing on MTV, the Madrids, who are known for their narrative choreography and staccato isolations, consider themselves “natural extensions of her and her work.”

From New York Times ● Jun. 21, 2023

In the first and even second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, multi-week quarantines and isolations were common for many Americans, especially children.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 3, 2023

This, or some such thing as this, they would agree, is far better than isolations and the perpetual threat of fresh warfare.

From New York Times Current History: The European War, Vol 2, No. 1, April, 1915 April-September, 1915 by Various

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• confinement
• desolation
• remoteness
• segregation
• solitude

---