Synonyms

incommunicado

American

[in-kuh-myoo-ni-kah-doh] / ˌɪn kəˌmyu nɪˈkɑ doʊ /

adjective

(especially of a prisoner) deprived of any communication with others.

incommunicado British

/ ˌɪnkəˌmjuːnɪˈkɑːdəʊ /

adverb

(postpositive) deprived of communication with other people, as while in solitary confinement

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of incommunicado

1835–45, < Spanish incomunicado. See in- ³, communicate

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Ray is incommunicado for a while after their first “date,” but finally he asks Colin to come over.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026

Subaihi is among a 50-plus STC delegation that has been incommunicado since arriving in Riyadh in the early hours of Wednesday.

From Barron's • Jan. 9, 2026

ICE held her incommunicado for 24 hours and then shuffled her through three states before jailing her in Louisiana.

From Salon • Oct. 24, 2025

Earlier this year, Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi and his Ugandan counterpart Agather Atuhaire were detained in Tanzania and held incommunicado for days before being abandoned at their respective national borders.

From BBC • Oct. 2, 2025

Since Colton was incommunicado, I began chatting with a regular named Eveillard, who was born in Haiti, he said.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023