isolation
Pluralisolations (some meanings)
- 1The condition of being alone or kept apart from other people.
Like being the only house on a long, empty road.
Months of isolation during the lockdown left many people feeling lonely.
Living far from town, the family endured a sense of isolation every winter.
Similarsolitude, seclusion, loneliness, aloneness, solitariness
Oppositecompanionship, company, contact, togetherness
Note
- 2The act of keeping someone or something apart from others.
Like putting one bad apple in a separate box so it doesn't spoil the rest.
The isolation of the sick birds helped stop the disease from spreading.
Careful isolation of the noisy machine reduced sound in the office.
Similarseparation, segregation, detachment, disconnection
Oppositeintegration
- 3Keeping a sick person away from others so an illness cannot spread.
Like keeping one sick fish in a separate tank so the others stay healthy.
Doctors placed the patient in isolation until the fever passed.
The hospital used isolation to stop the infection from reaching other wards.
Similarquarantine
Note
- 4The situation of a country that has no friendly ties with other nations.
Like a kid no one at school will play with.
Years of isolation hurt the small country's economy.
The government's harsh actions pushed the nation into deeper isolation.
Similarestrangement
Oppositeengagement, rapprochement
Note
- 5Getting a pure substance out of a mixture or out of one of its compounds.
Like picking all the red candies out of a mixed bag.
The isolation of pure gold from the ore took several steps.
Students practiced the isolation of salt from seawater.
Similarextraction, separation, purification
Note
- 6A way the mind blocks a painful thought from leading to more upsetting thoughts.
Like putting a scary thought in a box so it can't reach the others.
Through isolation, he kept the memory from stirring up painful feelings.
Her therapist explained how isolation was shielding her from distressing thoughts.
Note
- 7A database setting that controls when one user's changes become visible to others.
Like writing in your own notebook so others don't see it until you're done.
Higher isolation stops users from seeing each other's unfinished changes.
The team adjusted the isolation setting to avoid data conflicts.
Note
Practice
Can you tell the meanings of isolation apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.
Origin
First seen in 1800. From French isolation, based on a word meaning placed on an island, so away from other people.