Definition

1. Noun:
   • The state of being separated from others; a condition of being alone or apart: "Isolation" fundamentally describes the situation of being physically or socially separated from other people or things.
   • The act of separating something or someone from others: It can also refer to the deliberate action of setting something apart.
   • A feeling of loneliness and detachment: In a psychological sense, it describes the subjective experience of feeling alone and disconnected.
   • A country's policy of remaining apart from the affairs of other nations: In politics, it refers to a state's withdrawal from international political or economic relations.
   • (Psychology/Psychiatry) A defense mechanism: A process where a troubling memory, thought, or feeling is mentally separated from its original emotional context.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The prisoner was kept in isolation for a week. (He was separated from other prisoners.)
  • The scientist worked in isolation on the remote island. (He worked alone, apart from the scientific community.)
  • She experienced a deep sense of isolation after moving to the new city. (She felt lonely and disconnected.)
  • The country pursued a policy of isolation. (It avoided international alliances and agreements.)
  • Viral isolation is a key step in developing a vaccine. (The act of separating the virus from other material.)

Advanced Usage

• "In isolation": considered separately, not in connection with other things.
  • This problem cannot be studied in isolation; you must consider the broader system.
• "Social isolation": a state of complete or near-complete lack of contact with society.
  • Elderly people are particularly at risk of social isolation.
• "Self-isolation": the act of separating oneself from others, especially to prevent the spread of disease.
  • If you have symptoms, you must go into self-isolation immediately.

Variants and Related Words

• Isolate (verb): To set apart or separate from others.
  • Researchers must isolate the variable to understand its effect.
• Isolated (adjective): Far away from other places, buildings, or people; single and exceptional.
  • They live in an isolated farmhouse. / This was an isolated incident.
• Isolator (noun): A device that separates or disconnects something (e.g., electrical isolator).

Synonyms

• Seclusion: The state of being private and away from other people.
• Solitude: The state or situation of being alone (often viewed positively).
• Quarantine: A state of enforced isolation to prevent the spread of disease.
• Detachment: The state of being objective or aloof; separation.

Antonyms

• Integration: The process of combining or mixing into a whole.
• Connection: A relationship in which a person or thing is linked or associated with something else.
• Inclusion: The action or state of including or being included within a group or structure.

Related Phrases/Idioms

• "Isolation booth/room": A small, soundproof room used in quiz shows to prevent contestants from hearing each other.
• "Isolation tank": A lightless, soundproof tank in which a person floats in saltwater at skin temperature, used for relaxation or sensory deprivation.

Noun

1. a country's withdrawal from international politics
   • he opposed a policy of American isolation
2. (psychiatry) a defense mechanism in which memory of an unacceptable act or impulse is separated from the emotion originally associated with it
3. the act of isolating something; setting something apart from others
4. a feeling of being disliked and alone
5. a state of separation between persons or groups