incommunicado

[ in-kuh-myoo-ni-kah-doh ]

adjective

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

incommunicado

/ ˌɪnkəˌmjuːnɪˈkɑːdəʊ /

adverb

1. postpositive deprived of communication with other people, as while in solitary confinement

Word History and Origins

Origin of incommunicado¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of incommunicado¹

C19: from Spanish incomunicado, from incomunicar to deprive of communication; see in- ¹, communicate

Example Sentences

Many of the most prominent have been held "incommunicado", allowed no contact at all with lawyers or relatives for several years.

From BBC

When Mr. Hadi’s lawyers began screening images of cells similar to those where he was kept incommunicado in 2006 and 2007, a prosecutor protested, only to learn that the material had recently been declassified.

From New York Times

The families should be relentless in demanding that the embassy obtain quick access, Genser said, since extended incommunicado detention can shield torture or mistreatment.

From Seattle Times

“But the alternative of holding them in lengthy detention, incommunicado, in such harsh conditions is also not a normal legal option.”

From Seattle Times

Rights lawyers say that locating detainees in the Israeli system is difficult, and they describe the situation as a form of incommunicado detention.

From Seattle Times