# isolation

/ˌaɪsəˈɫeɪʃən/ (US) · /ˌaɪsəlˈeɪʃən/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/isolation
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. being alone

noun · CEFR B2

the state of being alone or away from other people.

For teachers: the state of being detached or separated from others, often resulting in a lack of social contact.

- Many elderly people suffered from isolation during the long winter months.
- The geographical isolation of the mountain village preserved its unique dialect for centuries, though it made access to modern healthcare difficult.

### 2. medical separation

noun · CEFR B2

keeping a sick person away from others so a disease does not spread.

For teachers: the separation of a patient with a contagious disease from others to prevent the spread of infection.

- The hospital put the patient in isolation until they were sure the virus wasn't spreading.
- Strict isolation protocols were implemented in the infectious disease ward to mitigate the risk of a hospital-wide outbreak.

### 3. scientific separation

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

the process of separating a specific substance or germ from a mixture.

For teachers: the process of obtaining a specific element, compound, or microorganism from a complex mixture or sample.

- The isolation of the active ingredient from the plant took several weeks of lab work.
- The successful isolation of the new bacterial strain allowed researchers to sequence its genome and identify potential antibiotic resistance.

### 4. political separation

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

when a country has no friendly or official relations with other nations.

For teachers: the state of a country lacking diplomatic, economic, or social relations with other nations.

- The country faced international isolation after it broke the peace treaty.
- The regime's refusal to comply with international standards led to a period of profound diplomatic isolation and severe economic sanctions.

### 5. psychological defense

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a way the mind protects itself by separating a memory from the feelings it causes.

For teachers: a defense mechanism where a person separates a thought or memory from its associated emotional charge.

- He used isolation to talk about the accident without feeling any of the pain.
- In clinical psychology, isolation of affect is often observed in patients who recount traumatic events with a striking lack of emotional resonance.

## Examples

- The long winter months can lead to a feeling of isolation.
- The doctor recommended strict isolation for the patient to prevent the virus from spreading to the rest of the family.
- The researcher's breakthrough came after the successful isolation of the specific protein responsible for the immune response, a process that required months of meticulous laboratory work.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.