isolationship

English

Etymology 1

From isolation +‎ -ship.

Noun

isolationship (uncountable)

1. (rare) The quality of being isolated; isolatedness.
   • 1967, “Psycholytic Therapy”, in w:Harold A[lexander] Abramson, editor, The Use of LSD in Psychotherapy and Alcoholism, Indianapolis, I.N. […]: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc., page 136:

     The social isolate, whether male or female, is usually a poor risk. All big cities produce, and attract, such individuals and the dynamics of their isolationship are usually multiple.

   • 2021 January 30, Josh Freed, “Josh Freed: Every era has its own pandemic blessings”, in Montreal Gazette‎^[1], Montreal, Que.: Postmedia Network Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2024-01-18:

     Just think how relatively lucky we are now. For starters, our magic-wand phones let us message or speak to anyone anywhere on Earth when we're tired of our isolationship.

Etymology 2

Blend of isolation +‎ relationship.

Noun

isolationship (plural isolationships)

1. (neologism) A relationship during a pandemic lockdown.
   • 2020 April 1, Sadaf Ahsan, “How the coronavirus pandemic is changing the ways we have sex”, in NOW Toronto‎^[2], Toronto, Ont.: NOW Communications Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2021-09-19:

     So it's no surprise that, for many, being apart from friends, family and romantic partners has proved incredibly lonely. Being in an "isolationship" doesn't help.

   • 2020 May 1, Frances Hardy, “The lockdown lust files: How three quarters of Britons say social isolation has benefited their relationships”, in Daily Mail‎^[3], London: DMG Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-07-10:

     [image caption:] In an 'isolationship' survey, 1,600 women, aged 25 to 65-plus, across the UK were asked about how confinement has changed their lives and relationships

   • 2020 May 15, Zoe Haylock, “Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas Continue to Be That Couple”, in Vulture‎^[4], archived from the original on 2023-01-30:

     Repeatedly stepping out on quarantine strolls like the sidewalks were lined with red carpet, the public caught wind of their isolationship early on in quarantine. Now, the couple is doing full-on PDA in a new Residente music video.

   • 2021 April 4, Millet M. Mananquil, “Stories in the time of COVID”, in PhilSTAR Life‎^[5], archived from the original on 2022-07-02:

     We are waiting to see the future stories, books, plays and movies that will come out with COVID as the theme. And yes, artworks too, after artists emerge from what BenCab and Annie Sarthou describe on Instagram as being in a relationship, better described as "isolationship."

Usage notes

• The term is rare, and has seen relatively little use since 2021.