as in academic
very learned or educated but inexperienced in practical matters
a large public university that needs as its president not some ivory-tower intellectual but a skilled administrator
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for ivory-tower
academic
Adjective
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Analysts have tried to forecast how much academic carnage will result from this demographic bind.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
19 May 2026 -
In a stunning rebuke, the Board of Governors rejected his appointment, forcing UF to restart the search and deepening concerns among faculty and alumni that ideological alignment now outweighs academic credentials in Florida university leadership.—
Garrett Shanley,
Miami Herald,
18 May 2026
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“Ivory-tower.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ivory-tower. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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