ENGLISH
REFERENCE

robinson

n. countable
C2 Proficiency US //ˈɹɑbənsən// robin·son Informal

n. a person who lives alone on a desert island, far away from other people. It comes from a famous story about a man who survived a shipwreck.

n. a person who lives in isolation, specifically one who survives alone on a remote island after a shipwreck. Derived from the protagonist of Daniel Defoe's 1719 novel; often used figuratively to describe any solitary or self-sufficient individual.


SIMPLE

He lived like a Robinson on the island for ten years.

CONTEXTUAL

After the plane crash, the survivor had to play the role of a modern Robinson to stay alive.

COMPLEX

The literary archetype of the Robinson explores themes of human resilience and the psychological toll of absolute social isolation in a state of nature.

Origin

From Robin + -son.

Usage

Usually capitalized as it is an eponym; often used in the phrase 'a modern Robinson'.

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