What does "island" mean?
A contiguous area of land, smaller than a continent, totally surrounded by water.
Island
/ˈaɪlənd/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A contiguous area of land, smaller than a continent, totally surrounded by water.
- Grammar: island is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: aerodrome, air base, airdrome, airfield.
- Useful contrasts: antarctic peninsula, continental, danish kontinent.
- Usage evidence: Seen from the sky, the island was very beautiful.
How to use "island"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "island" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "island" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "island" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "island" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "island" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "aerodrome" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "island", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A contiguous area of land, smaller than a continent, totally surrounded by water.
"No man is an Iland, intire of it ſelfe; euery man is a peece of the Continent, a part of the maine; […]"
- 2 a zone or area resembling an island wordnet
- 3 A contiguous area of land, smaller than a continent, partially surrounded by water; a peninsula; a half-island. broadly
"Despite its name, Barry Island is actually a peninsula"
- 4 a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water wordnet
- 5 An entity surrounded by other entities that are very different from itself.
"The quiet library was an island of tranquility in the noisy, bustling city."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 A superstructure on an aircraft carrier's deck.
- 7 A traffic island.
"the island in the middle of a roundabout"
- 8 A roundabout; a traffic circle. West-Midlands, broadly
"Dunton island, near Birmingham, is one of the most confusingly labelled islands in the U.K."
- 9 A bench, counter, etc., that is not connected to a wall or other furniture and which can be used from any side.
"A short, rather studious young woman on noticing him moved from behind an island counter."
- 10 A bench, counter, etc., that is not connected to a wall or other furniture and which can be used from any side.; Ellipsis of kitchen island. abbreviation, alt-of, broadly, ellipsis
- 11 An unincorporated area wholly surrounded by one or more incorporated areas.
- 12 A phrase from which a wh-word cannot be extracted without yielding invalid grammar.
"Adverbial subordinate clauses are islands for extraction: "They have a billion dollars of inventory that they don't know where *(it) is"."
Verb
- 1 To surround with water; make into an island. transitive
"We paused at little river cities along the way and walked upon their bushy dikes, and heard tales of overflows in flood seasons, when four feet or more of water islanded the houses."
- 2 To set, dot (as if) with islands. transitive
"God dwells in light! Before the ocean of unmeasured space, was islanded with stars serenely bright, reflecting back the radiance of his face - he dwelt above in heaven’s immortal bliss, thinking into existence that which is."
- 3 To isolate. transitive
"The turkey's nest was islanded with a fragrant swath,—the "heft" of the crop noted and rejoiced over,—the tons of good timothy and clover calculated,— […]"
Proper Noun
- 1 Long Island (in New York State). New-York-City
"Candy came from out on the Island / In the backroom, she was everybody's darling"
- 2 Long Beach Island. New-Jersey
- 3 Vancouver Island. British-Columbia
"A grizzly was photographed at Rugged Point near Kyuquot on the northwest coast of the Island in May, close to the time bears emerge from their dens, suggesting it had successfully hibernated on the Island."
- 4 Synonym of Prince Edward Island. Canada, colloquial
- 5 Epstein Island. Internet
Show 1 more definition
- 6 HM Prison Parkhurst, a prison on the Isle of Wight. UK, colloquial
Antonyms
Example
"Seen from the sky, the island was very beautiful."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "island"?
Common synonyms include: aerodrome, air base, airdrome, airfield, airport, ait.
How do you use "island" in a sentence?
Seen from the sky, the island was very beautiful.
How do you pronounce "island"?
Pronounced /ˈaɪlənd/.
Etymology
From earlier iland, from Middle English iland, yland, ylond, from Old English īeġland, from Proto-West Germanic *auwjuland, from Proto-Germanic *awjōlandą (from Proto-Germanic *awjō (“island, waterland, meadow”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ekʷeh₂) + *landą (“land”), equivalent to ey + land. Doublet of Öland. Cognate with Scots island, iland, yland (“island”), West Frisian eilân (“island”), Saterland Frisian Ailound (“island”), Dutch eiland (“island”), Low German Eiland (“island”), German Eiland (“island”), Swedish ö (“island”), Öland (“Sweden's second largest island”), Danish ø (“island”), Norwegian øy (“island”), øyland (“large island”), Icelandic eyland (“island”). The insertion of ⟨s⟩—a 16th century spelling modification—is due to a change in spelling to the unrelated term isle, which previously lacked s (cf. Middle English ile, yle). The re-addition was mistakenly carried over to include iland as well. Related also to German Aue (“water-meadow”), Latin aqua (“water”). More at ea.