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

Many of them just don’t have any idea that there are issues around seniors and hunger and social isolation in our country. —Belinda Luscombe, Time, 20 May 2026

Over the course of less than two months, these Islanders would be disarmed by the sun, the machinations of the producers, and the illusion of isolation and being apart from their phones for the first time in their lives. —Anna Peele, Vulture, 20 May 2026

That isolation has allowed unique plant and animal species — along with archaeological resources — to develop, according to National Park Service officials. —Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 20 May 2026

Thousands of years of genetic isolation have made the island pine a distinct subspecies from the trees found in Torrey Pines State Reserve in San Diego, according to the park service. —Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026