Phrase guide

no man is an island

proverb · 1 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

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1

proverb

Meaning 1

All people are connected to and dependent on other people.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From the 1623 quotation below.

Across languages

Translations

7 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 沒有人是一座孤島 /没有人是一座孤岛 (méiyǒu rén shì yī zuò gūdǎo) — all people are dependent on other people
  • Danish: alle mennesker er forbundne og afhængige af andre mennesker — all people are dependent on other people
  • Finnish: yksikään ihminen ei ole saari — all people are dependent on other people
  • Irish: is ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine — all people are dependent on other people
  • Japanese: なんぴとも一島嶼にてはあらず — all people are dependent on other people
  • Portuguese: ninguém é uma ilha — all people are dependent on other people
  • Vietnamese: không ai là một hòn đảo — all people are dependent on other people