ivory tower

noun

: an impractical often escapist attitude marked by aloof lack of concern with or interest in practical matters or urgent problems

: a secluded place that affords the means of treating practical issues with an impractical often escapist attitude

especially : a place of learning

ivory-tower

ˈī-v(ə-)rē-ˈtau̇(-ə)r

adjective

ivory-towerish

ˈī-v(ə-)rē-ˈtau̇-(ə-)rish

adjective

Examples of ivory tower in a Sentence

The book was written by some college professor who's spent her entire professional life in an ivory tower.

Recent Examples on the Web

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Isn’t the genre about getting into people’s psyche through a back door, not climbing an ivory tower? —

Maya Ibbitson, Architectural Digest, 23 Dec. 2024 An ivory tower to climb, conquer, and breathe the rarefied air of the Falcones, Bruce Wayne, Bella Reál, and every other Gotham City elite, cop, or criminal. —

Andy Andersen, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2024 The most successful leaders do not lead from ivory towers. —

James Manso, WWD, 13 Dec. 2024 And soon she’ll be tucked away in an ivory tower with an immaculate, ceaseless view of the city — perhaps the cruelest of all fates at the end of The Penguin. —

Andy Andersen, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ivory tower