isolationist

[ahy-suh-ley-shuh-nist, is-uh-]

See more synonyms for isolationist on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person who favors or works for isolationism.

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adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of isolationists or isolationism: to be accused of isolationist sympathies.

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Origin of isolationist

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65; isolation + -ist

Related formsan·ti-i·so·la·tion·ist, noun, adjectiveun·i·so·la·tion·ist, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for isolationist

Contemporary Examples

Paul, meanwhile, has taken to cyberbullying Rubio, tweeting on Friday that he is “acting like an isolationist.”
The Rand-Rubio Catfight Over Cuba
Olivia Nuzzi
December 19, 2014
“With all due respect” because “isolationist,” Cheney knows, is a deeply politically damaging insult.
Rand Paul Gives War a Chance
Olivia Nuzzi
August 18, 2014
Establishment figures look a bit askance at the Kentucky senator because of his isolationist roots.
Rand Paul’s Bizarre Bowe Bergdahl Joke
Ben Jacobs
June 6, 2014
It really does encourage an isolationist view that negates the shared experience.
Binge Watching is Lame and Lonely
Roland S. Martin
February 19, 2014
Instead, he carried on with his blinkered views and remained an isolationist.
“The Patriarch”: Joseph Kennedy Sr.’s Outsized Life
Jacob Heilbrunn
November 21, 2012

Historical Examples

But gradually they came to accept Harry's isolationist ways as the norm—at least, for him.
This Crowded Earth
Robert Bloch

Word Origin and History for isolationist

in reference to U.S. foreign policy, 1899 (earlier in reference to treatment of leprosy), from isolation + -ist. Isolationism is attested by 1922.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper