as in solitude
the state of being alone or kept apart from others
the separateness of the island community has given it a distinct culture
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Recent Examples of separateness
These immigrants, who first settled the backcountry of Pennsylvania before pushing farther to the western and southern frontier, brought with them a cultural and linguistic separateness that had an immense impact on the speech of the American heartland.
—
Valerie Fridland, Big Think, 21 Apr. 2026
Byrne is generous with his time and attention, but there’s also a Warholian air of mystery about him—a gentle impenetrability, a feeling of separateness.
—Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
Since becoming president of Taiwan, last May, Lai has asserted Taiwan’s separateness from the mainland and muted his predecessor’s efforts to reassure Beijing.
—Stephen Wertheim, Foreign Affairs, 28 Oct. 2025
Valerie Fridland, Big Think, 21 Apr. 2026
Byrne is generous with his time and attention, but there’s also a Warholian air of mystery about him—a gentle impenetrability, a feeling of separateness.
—Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
Since becoming president of Taiwan, last May, Lai has asserted Taiwan’s separateness from the mainland and muted his predecessor’s efforts to reassure Beijing.
—Stephen Wertheim, Foreign Affairs, 28 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for separateness
Noun
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Christian mystics throughout the centuries—Smith writes, for instance, of the 16th century’s Teresa of Ávila and John of the Cross, among many others—explored the ways in which retreating into solitude or letting the world slip amid silence had the potential to yield profound spiritual insights.—
Luis Parrales,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
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However, solitude - isolation even – wasn’t meant to be the same as being stranded.—
Darcie Moran,
Freep.com,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
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According to Disney’s privacy notice, the system compares a camera image taken at the entrance with the image saved when a guest first used a ticket or pass, converting the images into unique numerical values to look for a match.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
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Some express concern, especially parents worried about their children’s privacy.—
Hannah Fry,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Pau’s early work cohered around a nonnarrative approach to themes of alienation and isolation, rendered through obscure and richly textured visuals.—
Pauline J. Yao,
Artforum,
2 May 2026
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Down Time is refreshingly original in its choice to plot the pandemic as a point on a timeline that extends in either direction, rather than viewing it in isolation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 May 2026
Noun
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On quite possibly her most devastating song to date, Musgraves details the darker side of loneliness over sparse guitar in true country singer-songwriter tradition.—
Maya Georgi,
Rolling Stone,
30 Apr. 2026
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Fighting loneliness while eating cake (truly a win-win).—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The reasoning, which contradicted every previous Supreme Court decision on segregation, cited the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.—
Susan Shelley,
Oc Register,
2 May 2026
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The deputies walked the man to a jail segregation unit before the video ended.—
Darrell Smith
May 1,
Sacbee.com,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Separateness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/separateness. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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