Standard Lemma guide

insulation

noun · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌɪnsjʊˈleɪʃən/
  • US: /ˌɪnsəˈleɪʃən/
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪʃən
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 N S AH0 L EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The act of insulating; detachment from other objects; isolation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The state of being insulated; detachment from other objects; isolation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Any of a variety of materials designed to reduce the flow of heat, either from or into a building.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The act of separating a body from others by nonconductors, so as to prevent the transfer of electricity, heat, or sound

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

The state of a body so separated.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

a medium in which it is possible to maintain an electrical field with little supply of energy from additional sources.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: business, electrical-engineering, electricity, electromagnetism, energy, engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

the act of protecting something by surrounding it with material that reduces or prevents the transmission of sound or heat or electricity

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: protection

Narrower terms: lining

8

noun

Meaning 8

the state of being isolated or detached

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the insulation of England was preserved by the English Channel

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: insularity, insularism, detachment

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: isolation

9

noun

Meaning 9

a material that reduces or prevents the transmission of heat or sound or electricity

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: insulating material, insulant

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: building material

Narrower terms: lagging, corkboard

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English insulate Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin -ātiōlbor. Old French -ationbor. Middle English -acioun English -ation English -ion English insulation From insulate + -ion.

Across languages

Translations

57 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: մեկուսացում (mekusacʻum) — The act of insulating
  • Armenian: առանձնացում (aṙanjnacʻum) — The act of insulating
  • Chinese Mandarin: 孤立 (gūlì) — The act of insulating
  • Esperanto: izolado — The act of insulating
  • Finnish: eristys — The act of insulating
  • Finnish: eristäminen — The act of insulating
  • French: isolation — The act of insulating
  • German: Isolation — The act of insulating
  • Greek: μόνωση (mónosi) — The act of insulating
  • Italian: isolamento — The act of insulating
  • Italian: coibentazione — The act of insulating
  • Macedonian: изолирање (izoliranje) — The act of insulating
  • Macedonian: изолација (izolacija) — The act of insulating
  • Portuguese: insulação — The act of insulating
  • Portuguese: isolamento — The act of insulating
  • Romanian: izolare — The act of insulating
  • Russian: изоли́рование (izolírovanije) — The act of insulating
  • Russian: изоля́ция (izoljácija) — The act of insulating
  • Spanish: aislamiento — The act of insulating
  • Spanish: aislación — The act of insulating
  • Spanish: insulación — The act of insulating
  • Swedish: isolering — The act of insulating
  • Tagalog: sabukod — The act of insulating
  • Finnish: eristyneisyys — The state of being insulated
  • Finnish: eristäytyneisyys — The state of being insulated
  • French: isolement — The state of being insulated
  • Italian: isolamento — The state of being insulated
  • Italian: coibentamento — The state of being insulated
  • Finnish: eriste — Any of a variety of materials designed to reduce the flow of heat, either from or into a building
  • French: isolant — Any of a variety of materials designed to reduce the flow of heat, either from or into a building
  • Indonesian: isolator — Any of a variety of materials designed to reduce the flow of heat, either from or into a building
  • Italian: isolante termico — Any of a variety of materials designed to reduce the flow of heat, either from or into a building
  • Armenian: մեկուսացում (mekusacʻum) — The act of separating a body from others
  • Finnish: eristys — The act of separating a body from others
  • Finnish: eristäminen — The act of separating a body from others
  • German: Dämmung — The act of separating a body from others
  • German: Isolierung — The act of separating a body from others
  • Greek: μόνωση (mónosi) — The act of separating a body from others
  • Macedonian: изолирање (izoliranje) — The act of separating a body from others
  • Macedonian: изолација (izolacija) — The act of separating a body from others
  • Polish: izolacja — The act of separating a body from others
  • Romanian: separare — The act of separating a body from others
  • Romanian: izolare — The act of separating a body from others
  • Russian: изоли́рование (izolírovanije) — The act of separating a body from others
  • Russian: изоля́ция (izoljácija) — The act of separating a body from others
  • Swedish: isolering — The act of separating a body from others
  • Finnish: eriste — a medium in which it is possible to maintain an electrical field with little supply of energy from additional sources
  • Greek: μόνωση (mónosi) — a medium in which it is possible to maintain an electrical field with little supply of energy from additional sources
  • Indonesian: isolator — a medium in which it is possible to maintain an electrical field with little supply of energy from additional sources
  • Kazakh: оқшаулама (oqşaulama) — a medium in which it is possible to maintain an electrical field with little supply of energy from additional sources
  • Macedonian: изолација (izolacija) — a medium in which it is possible to maintain an electrical field with little supply of energy from additional sources
  • Macedonian: изола́тор (izolátor) — a medium in which it is possible to maintain an electrical field with little supply of energy from additional sources
  • Romanian: izolație — a medium in which it is possible to maintain an electrical field with little supply of energy from additional sources
  • Russian: изоля́ция (izoljácija) — a medium in which it is possible to maintain an electrical field with little supply of energy from additional sources
  • Russian: изоля́тор (izoljátor) — a medium in which it is possible to maintain an electrical field with little supply of energy from additional sources
  • Swedish: isolering — a medium in which it is possible to maintain an electrical field with little supply of energy from additional sources
  • Swedish: isolator — a medium in which it is possible to maintain an electrical field with little supply of energy from additional sources
Real reading context

insulation in complete knowledge articles