isolate oneself

/ˈaɪsəleɪt wʌnˈself/

to deliberately separate oneself from others

After the argument, she decided to isolate herself for a few days.

She chose to be alone to reflect and recover from the conflict.

informal

to deliberately separate oneself from others, often to avoid social interaction or to focus on personal needs

He isolated himself from his friends after the breakup to process his emotions.

He chose to be alone to deal with his feelings after ending a relationship.

During the pandemic, many people isolated themselves to prevent spreading the virus.

People stayed away from others to reduce the risk of infection.

This phrase often implies a temporary or intentional withdrawal from social situations.

Collocations

isolate oneself fromto separate oneself from a specific group or situationisolate oneself into withdraw to a specific place to be alone

to stop communicating with others

to leave social interactions behind

This phrase is often used in contexts of emotional distress, recovery, or self-reflection.

Do not use this phrase to describe forced isolation (e.g., imprisonment). It implies a voluntary choice.

Derived from the verb 'isolate' (from Latin 'insula', meaning 'island') and the reflexive pronoun 'oneself'.

This phrase is often used to describe emotional or physical withdrawal from others, either voluntarily or due to external circumstances.

isolate

to separate or detach

root

oneself

reflexive pronoun indicating the subject is the object of the action

reflexive pronoun

English Dictionary