solitary confinement
noun
: the state of being kept alone in a prison cell away from other prisoners
He spent three months in solitary confinement.
Examples of solitary confinement in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Last week, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani directed jail officials to develop a plan to comply with a ban on solitary confinement at Rikers Island within 45 days.
—
Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
The tech is used with both the general prison population and inmates held in solitary confinement.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 12 Jan. 2026
The group conducts the program, using 100 Oculus headsets donated by Meta, both in the general population and in solitary confinement.
—Haven Daley, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2026
His lawyers told the court that jail officials have been keeping Banks in solitary confinement without a disciplinary review after he allegedly was caught with an Apple Watch last August.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for solitary confinement
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
The tech is used with both the general prison population and inmates held in solitary confinement.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 12 Jan. 2026
The group conducts the program, using 100 Oculus headsets donated by Meta, both in the general population and in solitary confinement.
—Haven Daley, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2026
His lawyers told the court that jail officials have been keeping Banks in solitary confinement without a disciplinary review after he allegedly was caught with an Apple Watch last August.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for solitary confinement
Cite this Entry
“Solitary confinement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/solitary%20confinement. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share