Meaning & use
isolated
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Far from other places or people, with little contact with anyone else.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a verb: an isolated farm; the farm is isolated.
Patterns
- isolated from something
- an isolated village
They bought an isolated cottage miles from the nearest town.
Heavy snow left several villages isolated for a week.
He felt isolated after moving to a country where he knew nobody.
adjectivebefore a noun
Happening only once or in only a few cases, and not part of a larger pattern.
Grammar: Almost always placed before the noun: an isolated case.
Patterns
- an isolated incident
- an isolated case of something
Police said the theft was an isolated incident.
There have been only isolated reports of the illness.
Scattered, isolated showers are expected this afternoon.
Common combinations
- isolated incident
- The manager insisted the complaint was an isolated incident.
- isolated case
- Doctors have seen just one isolated case this year.
- isolated community
- Supplies reach the isolated community by boat only.
- feel isolated
- New remote workers sometimes feel isolated.
- socially isolated
- Socially isolated older adults benefit from regular visits.
Synonyms and how they differ
- remote
- Remote describes distance from towns or centers, whereas isolated adds the idea of being cut off.
- secluded
- Secluded suggests a quiet, private place that is often pleasant, while isolated can sound lonely.
- solitary
- Solitary describes a person or thing that is alone, often by choice, rather than cut off by circumstances.
- sporadic
- Sporadic describes events scattered over time, but isolated usually refers to a single or very few occurrences.
Opposites
Word family
- isolate verb
- to separate from others
- isolation noun
- the state of being separate or alone
- isolationism noun
- a policy of avoiding involvement with other countries
- isolate noun
- a specimen separated for study
Commonly confused: isolated or insulated?
isolated vs insulated
Insulated means protected against heat, cold, or electricity, not cut off from other people.
Practice
The company said the data leak was an ______ error and not a sign of wider problems.
Choose one answer.
An isolated error is a one-off. Secluded describes quiet places and insulated refers to protection from heat or electricity.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “isolated”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.