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 What followed was nearly seven years of brutality during which he was beaten, chained to a wall, threatened with death, often had guns held to his head and was kept in solitary confinement for long periods of time. CBS News, 22 Apr. 2024 Harris was a pre-trial detainee at the Appling County Jail and was in solitary confinement, according to the suit. Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 18 Apr. 2024 The judge’s ruling also noted that Assange could be stuck in solitary confinement for 23 hours per day while awaiting trial in the U.S., a punishment widely considered by other wealthy countries to be torture. Matt Novak / Gizmodo, Quartz, 17 Apr. 2024 He was also routinely kept in solitary confinement and not permitted to attend school or receive an alternative education, per the complaint. Emily Palmer, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024 Vladimir Kara-Murza, who suffers from a neurological condition after surviving two attempts to poison him, was transferred to a new Siberian penal colony in January and placed in solitary confinement, his wife said. Reuters, NBC News, 25 Mar. 2024 For two months, Cameron Williams lived in solitary confinement in a tiny cell at Waupun Correctional Institution. Journal Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2024 His perilous journey to Australia culminated in a lengthy detention, including a significant period in solitary confinement, after being intercepted at Ashmore Reef. Callum McLennan, Variety, 17 Mar. 2024 The specter of surveillance and hate looms large for people like Abu-Rayyan, who was ultimately sentenced to five years in prison — including many months in solitary confinement — even though the terrorism charges were never substantiated. Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'solitary confinement.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near solitary confinement

Cite this Entry

“Solitary confinement.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/solitary%20confinement. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!