in a vacuum

idiom

: separated from outside events or influences

The group was operating in a vacuum, cut off from the rest of the world.

The city's riots did not happen in a vacuum. They were caused by recent political events.

Examples of in a vacuum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The work that happens in the Skid Row neighborhood is not in a vacuum. —

Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2024 Still, Bateman has played just 34 career regular-season games and has 93 catches for 1,167 yards and four touchdowns, hardly the kind of numbers that, if viewed in a vacuum, would have a lot of teams jumping toward an extension. —

Brian Wacker, Baltimore Sun, 24 Apr. 2024 Lipa’s music, in a vacuum, attempts to approximate that. —

Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 3 May 2024 Dependence on allies means the Israeli response will not happen in a vacuum. —

Gadi Ezra, TIME, 15 Apr. 2024 These teams do not operate in a vacuum, Maxcy said. —

Cathie Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 6 Apr. 2024 But the central bank doesn’t operate in a vacuum, either. —

Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 Comparison And Benchmarking Contrary to the common belief that our romantic relationships exist in a vacuum, the reality is far different. —

Mark Travers, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024 Researchers have tried creating 2D insulators before as well, but the problem lies in the fabrication process: to make them, scientists apply heat in a vacuum chamber, and the heat causes the insulating materials to crystallize. —

IEEE Spectrum, 24 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'in a vacuum.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.