isolation
[ahy-suh-ley-shuh n, is-uh-]
- an act or instance of isolating.
- the state of being isolated.
- the complete separation from others of a person suffering from contagious or infectious disease; quarantine.
- the separation of a nation from other nations by isolationism.
- Psychoanalysis. a process whereby an idea or memory is divested of its emotional component.
- Sociology. social isolation.
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Origin of isolation
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
solitudedesolationconfinementsegregationremotenessprivacyquarantinesequestrationaloofnessdetachmentwithdrawalexilealonenessconcealmentretreathidingreclusionmonkhoodseclusivenessExamples from the Web for isolation
Contemporary Examples
“Isolation has not worked,” said Obama from the White House.
Obama Realizes What 10 Presidents Didn’t: Isolating Cuba Doesn’t WorkChristopher Dickey
December 18, 2014
Now that they had the isolation chamber, it was up to Phoenix to find a plane to carry it.
He was one of six children who had been in the Ebola isolation center that had been overrun.
She came into the isolation center with a [temperature] of 40 degrees [104 Fahrenheit], and that was too high for a 6-year-old.
That moment helped me with this journey--between the faith and the physical preparation of training and isolation with hot yoga.
Historical Examples
In the light of morning the isolation of the inn is more apparent than at night.
Yorkshire Painted And DescribedGordon Home
I confess that there was something eerie in the isolation and remoteness of St. nimie.
The Roof of FranceMatilda Betham-Edwards
Otherwise why the pedigree, why the rigid castes, the isolation of women?
City of Endless NightMilo Hastings
The Jews were very troublesome among us in the days before the isolation.
City of Endless NightMilo Hastings
O divine sensibility, defend me from this isolation of the heart!
Tales And Novels, Volume 8 (of 10)Maria Edgeworth
isolation
- the act of isolating or the condition of being isolated
- (of a country, party, etc) nonparticipation in or withdrawal from international politics
- med
- social separation of a person who has or is suspected of having a contagious diseaseCompare quarantine
- (as modifier)an isolation hospital
- sociol a lack of contact between persons, groups, or whole societies
- social psychol the failure of an individual to maintain contact with others or genuine communication where interaction with others persists
- in isolation without regard to context, similar matters, etc
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for isolation
n.
1800, noun of action from isolate, or else from French isolation, noun of action from isoler (see isolated).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
isolation
(ī′sə-lā′shən)- The act of isolating or the state of being isolated.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.