Isolative

Isolative is an adjective derived from the word isolate. It describes something related to isolation, or something that serves to isolate or separate. The term is relatively uncommon in everyday language and tends to appear in technical, academic, or policy contexts.

In psychology and the social sciences, isolative describes behaviors, tendencies, or interventions that reduce social contact or group interaction, such as a tendency toward withdrawal or policies that limit contact between groups. In public health, isolative measures refer to actions intended to prevent transmission by keeping individuals or groups physically apart. In ecology and evolution, isolative factors describe barriers to gene flow or movement that promote the separation of populations.

Within linguistics and grammar, isolative is not a standard typology, but some authors have used it to refer to forms that encode isolation or separation; this usage is rare and not widely adopted. Typically, terms such as isolation, isolated, or isolating language are used instead.

Because it is not a widely standardized term, the precise meaning of isolative is highly context-dependent. When used, it generally signals an association with limiting interaction between entities, whether people, populations, or linguistic forms.

See also: isolation, isolate, isolating language.