Synonyms of isolation

isolation

noun

ˌī-sə-ˈlā-shən 

as in solitude

the state of being alone or kept apart from others

after the long book tour, the author looked forward to the isolation of his office

Synonyms & Similar Words

• solitude
• privacy
• loneliness
• segregation
• seclusion
• aloneness
• separateness
• insulation
• solitariness
• sequestration
• confinement
• secludedness
• internment
• vacuum
• retirement
• quarantine
• withdrawal
• lonesomeness
• incarceration
• ghettoization

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• society
• company
• companionship
• fellowship
• camaraderie
• comradeship

Synonym Chooser

How is the word isolation distinct from other similar nouns?

The words seclusion and solitude are common synonyms of isolation. While all three words mean "the state of one who is alone," isolation stresses detachment from others often involuntarily.

the isolation of the village in winter

In what contexts can seclusion take the place of isolation?

The synonyms seclusion and isolation are sometimes interchangeable, but seclusion suggests a shutting away or keeping apart from others often connoting deliberate withdrawal from the world or retirement to a quiet life.

lived in pastoral seclusion

When might solitude be a better fit than isolation?

While the synonyms solitude and isolation are close in meaning, solitude may imply a condition of being apart from all human beings or of being cut off by wish or circumstances from one's usual associates.

a few quiet hours of solitude

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of isolation

Passoni said the program also builds community among the women, decreases isolation an increases confidence through culinary training. —Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 19 Feb. 2026

Exhibits — including displays of traditional art and the accounts of community members’ experiences — show how isolation on coastal and island plantations led them to create a culture, food and language of their own, drawing heavily on influences carried from Africa. —Adam Kuehl, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026

The accused bring with them the burdens of poverty, addiction, isolation, physical or mental illness, and the relentless stress of exclusion. —Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2026

So our immune system may have learned to perceive isolation as a physical threat and, in turn, pump up inflammation. —Erica Sloan, SELF, 19 Feb. 2026