1. A state of separation between persons or groups
   "The remote village lived in isolation from the rest of the country"
    
2. The act of isolating something; setting something apart from others
   "The isolation of the crime scene allowed investigators to preserve evidence";
   - closing off
    
3. A feeling of being disliked and alone
   "Her isolation in the new school made it difficult for her to adjust"
    
4. (psychiatry) a defence mechanism in which memory of an unacceptable act or impulse is separated from the emotion originally associated with it
   "The patient used isolation to cope with traumatic memories"
    
5. A country's withdrawal from international politics
   "he opposed a policy of American isolation"

Derived forms: isolations

Type of: alienation, defence [Brit, Cdn], defence mechanism [Brit, Cdn], defence reaction [Brit, Cdn], defense [US], defense mechanism [US], defense reaction [US], disaffection, estrangement, non-engagement, non-involvement, nonparticipation, separation

Encyclopedia: Isolation