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
This type of progress does not happen in a vacuum, but by the concerted effort of federal programs that now do not exist.
—
Omer Awan, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
This return-to-office mandate doesn’t exist in a vacuum.
—Shannon Carroll, Quartz, 24 Apr. 2025
This narrative surrounding Stoll isn’t happening in a vacuum.
—Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 17 Apr. 2025
Prior advancements all came with some sort of asterisk, though; for example, the derivations involved only worked on short timescales, in a vacuum or under other simplifying conditions.
—Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for in a vacuum
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Omer Awan, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
This return-to-office mandate doesn’t exist in a vacuum.
—Shannon Carroll, Quartz, 24 Apr. 2025
This narrative surrounding Stoll isn’t happening in a vacuum.
—Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 17 Apr. 2025
Prior advancements all came with some sort of asterisk, though; for example, the derivations involved only worked on short timescales, in a vacuum or under other simplifying conditions.
—Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for in a vacuum
Cite this Entry
“In a vacuum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20a%20vacuum. Accessed 14 May. 2025.
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