ivory tower
noun
1
: an impractical often escapist attitude marked by aloof lack of concern with or interest in practical matters or urgent problems
2
: a secluded place that affords the means of treating practical issues with an impractical often escapist attitude
especially
: a place of learning
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
The crux of the panel was this: After false-start startups and decades relegated to the ivory tower, these panelists believe quantum computing is ready to step into the limelight.
—
Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024
Our governor advocates a land value tax system, which is neither commonly used, transparent, or easy to comprehend but is endorsed by ivory tower economists.
—Lisa Frizzell, The Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2024
The next stop, the slums of Alexandria, were built on a 30-foot wide structure influenced by the ivory towers found in Massimo Listri’s Cabinet of Curiosities.
—Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2024
Instead of a benefactor, the EU is now seen as the enemy for many, aloof in an ivory tower imposing bureaucratic rules on small-time farmers, while leaders are seen happily relaxing import restrictions for global farming powerhouses or the likes of wartime Ukraine.
—Raf Casert, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Feb. 2024
Models inhabited their own ivory towers at Schiaparelli, andthe opening looks at Ronald Van Der Kemp evoked both the Bauhaus and Legos.
—Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 29 Jan. 2024
Conservatives, tapping into the decline of public trust in authority since Vietnam and Watergate, turned the government, the media, Wall Street, and the Ivy League into the swamp, the fake news, the globalists, and the ivory tower.
—Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2024
Early books often depict the White Tower as an ivory tower, an ossified and insular institution weakened over time by closed-minded adherence to old rules and traditions.
—Andrew Cunningham & Lee Hutchinson, Ars Technica, 1 Sep. 2023
One way to make academics seem interesting is to thrust them from the ivory tower and into the world, as seen in films from the European art house to Hollywood.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2023
Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024
Our governor advocates a land value tax system, which is neither commonly used, transparent, or easy to comprehend but is endorsed by ivory tower economists.
—Lisa Frizzell, The Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2024
The next stop, the slums of Alexandria, were built on a 30-foot wide structure influenced by the ivory towers found in Massimo Listri’s Cabinet of Curiosities.
—Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2024
Instead of a benefactor, the EU is now seen as the enemy for many, aloof in an ivory tower imposing bureaucratic rules on small-time farmers, while leaders are seen happily relaxing import restrictions for global farming powerhouses or the likes of wartime Ukraine.
—Raf Casert, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Feb. 2024
Models inhabited their own ivory towers at Schiaparelli, andthe opening looks at Ronald Van Der Kemp evoked both the Bauhaus and Legos.
—Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 29 Jan. 2024
Conservatives, tapping into the decline of public trust in authority since Vietnam and Watergate, turned the government, the media, Wall Street, and the Ivy League into the swamp, the fake news, the globalists, and the ivory tower.
—Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2024
Early books often depict the White Tower as an ivory tower, an ossified and insular institution weakened over time by closed-minded adherence to old rules and traditions.
—Andrew Cunningham & Lee Hutchinson, Ars Technica, 1 Sep. 2023
One way to make academics seem interesting is to thrust them from the ivory tower and into the world, as seen in films from the European art house to Hollywood.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ivory tower.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
translation of French tour d'ivoire
First Known Use
1894, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near ivory tower
Cite this Entry
“Ivory tower.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ivory%20tower. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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