isolated

Isolated is an adjective describing something that is separated from others or from a larger whole, or that exists or occurs far from other things. The term can refer to physical separation, social separation, or a state of solitude. In everyday language it often applies to places that are remote or to individuals who have limited contact with others.

In social contexts, isolation can be voluntary or involuntary and may affect people, communities, or objects. It is distinct from loneliness: isolation is a condition of separation, whereas loneliness is a subjective feeling. Social isolation can have implications for health, access to resources, and resilience, and it may be temporary or persistent.

In science, an isolated system in thermodynamics exchanges neither energy nor matter with its surroundings, making its total energy constant. Real systems can approximate isolation but are rarely perfectly isolated. This concept is contrasted with open or closed systems, which differ in their allowable exchanges with the environment.

In mathematics and computer science, isolation has precise meanings. An isolated vertex in a graph has no incident edges. An isolated singularity of a complex function is a point where the function is not analytic, but analytic in a punctured neighborhood around that point.

In ecology and geography, isolated populations or habitats—such as those on distant islands—tend to evolve separately from mainland populations. Island biogeography examines how island size and distance from sources of species affect diversity and extinction rates.

In medicine and public health, isolation refers to separating individuals with contagious diseases to prevent transmission, using specific guidelines and precautions. It is distinct from quarantine, which applies to those exposed but not yet ill.