isolated
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of isolated
First recorded in 1755–65; equivalent to French isol(é) (from Italian; see isolato) + -ate 1 + -ed 2
Explanation
Isolated means far away from everyone or everything else. The hermit who lives on a remote island is isolated from the rest of the world, with nothing but coconuts and fish to keep him company. The word isolated comes from the Latin word insula, which means island. You don't have to be on a remote island to feel isolated, though. Even people who live in big cities can feel a sense of isolation if they don't have many friends and spend a lot of time alone. In addition to remote or set apart, isolated can mean a single event, or incident. The high school students assured their principal that the cafeteria food fight was an isolated incident, promising that it would never, ever happen again.
Vocabulary lists containing isolated
A Long Walk to Water
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In the Mood? 100 Words to Describe Emotions
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Wonder Woman's Superpower Words
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Here the winds will be lighter and there will be more strong sunshine with the chance of some isolated thunderstorms.
From BBC • Jun. 27, 2026
Those victories reinforced what has become increasingly difficult to dismiss: Mamdani’s own election was not simply an isolated upset.
From Salon • Jun. 27, 2026
Textualism requires courts to read words in their statutory setting, not as isolated entries in a lexicon.
From Slate • Jun. 26, 2026
Used wisely, it can free time for family and community, help people learn faster, bridge languages and cultures, assist the elderly, empower the disabled, and give isolated people new ways to participate in civic life.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026
When the first two tsunami warnings, predicting 10-and 20-foot waves, were announced on TV, he ordered all workers to evacuate to either the seismic isolated building or high ground.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
