incommunicado

/'inkə,mju:ni'kɑ:dou/

Thân thiện

The prisoner was held incommunicado in a solitary cell.

Definition

Adjective: - Without the means or right to communicate: Describes a state where a person is deliberately isolated and prevented from communicating with others, especially the outside world. This is often a formal or legal condition, typically imposed on prisoners or detainees.

Usage

The word "incommunicado" is used to describe a person who is held in isolation, cut off from contact with lawyers, family, or the media. It is a formal term, most commonly found in legal, journalistic, or human rights contexts. It often implies the isolation is imposed by an authority.

Examples

• The suspect was held for 48 hours before being allowed to call a lawyer.
• Human rights organizations protested the detention of the activists.
• During the interrogation, they kept the witness .

Advanced Usage

• To be held incommunicado: This is the most common phrase. It specifies the state of being isolated by an authority.
  • The journalist was held incommunicado in an undisclosed location.
• Incommunicado detention/status: Used to formally name the condition or period of isolation.
  • The new law limits the period of incommunicado detention.

Variants and Related Words

• Incommunicable (adjective): Incapable of being communicated, shared, or expressed. (Note: This is a different word with a different meaning, focusing on the nature of information rather than a person's condition).
  • She felt an incommunicable sense of grief.

Synonyms

• Isolated: Set apart from others.
• Secluded: Kept away from contact with others.
• In solitary confinement: A specific penal term for being held alone in a cell, often overlapping with being .

Antonyms

• Accessible: Easy to approach or communicate with.
• In contact: Having communication with others.

Notes

"Incommunicado" is an adjective of Spanish origin (from incomunicado). It is typically used as a predicate adjective (e.g., "He was held incommunicado") or attributively before a noun (e.g., "incommunicado detainee"). It is not commonly used in casual, everyday conversation.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. without the means or right to communicate
   • a prisoner held incommunicado
   • incommunicado political detainees