isolation

The word “isolation” means the state of being separated or apart from others. In plain terms, being cut off or kept apart, whether physically, socially, or in a lab experiment.

“Isolation” is pronounced eye-suh-LAY-shuhn (/ˌaɪsəˈleɪʃən/ in IPA).

Here is “isolation” used in a sentence: “He spent the winter in near-total isolation at the remote cabin.”

“Isolation” is a noun.

The word “isolation” dates back to around 1800 and comes from French. First recorded around 1800, from French isolation, from isolé ("placed on an island") — built from isolate plus -ion.

“Isolation” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Isolation” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the state of being separated or apart from others.

In public health, isolation separates people who are ill or infected from those who are healthy, while quarantine restricts people who may have been exposed but are not yet known to be ill. In everyday speech, isolation is the broader word for being kept apart from others.

Solitude is the state of being alone, often chosen and experienced as peaceful, while isolation suggests separation that is imposed, prolonged, or unwelcome. Writers reach for solitude to describe restorative alone time and isolation to describe cut-off, lonely circumstances.

Isolation is the objective state of being separated from others, while loneliness is the unhappy feeling of lacking connection. The two often occur together, but a person can be isolated without feeling lonely and can feel lonely in a crowd.