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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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.
Unfortunately, what’s happening in Georgia isn’t an isolated case.
From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026
This offered a glimpse of the potential for AI models to go rogue, as the models were meant to be isolated from the internet.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
Research from Shu Cole, a professor at Indiana University’s School of Public Health, consistently shows that the farther people go, the less likely they are to report feeling depressed or isolated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
“We’re really not talking about isolated communities in the woods.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
We run the risk of winning isolated battles but losing the larger war.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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.
