Insular    (pronounced in-suh-lur or ins-yuh-lur) adjective


Definition

1. of, pertaining to, or constituting an island; living or situated on an island.    2. detached or isolated, like an island.    3. like or characteristic of islanders; bigoted; narrow-minded, restricted, or provincial in one's ideas, perspective, or experience.


Other Forms

Insularly   (pronounced in-suh-lur-lee or ins-yuh-lur-lee) adverb

Insularity   (pronounced in-suh-lar-ih-tee or ins-yuh-lar-ih-tee) noun

Main Example

  • When news about Kobe Bryant's alleged sexual assault first broke, the media constantly talked about his being the "squeakiest clean" of all NBA players. But a few weeks later, reporters began focusing on his background and how he was brought up insularly, with a concentration on sports so laser-like that it probably deprived him of the chance to develop essential social skills. For instance, Bryant's former girlfriend told NBC that each time she visited him, she had to watch four hours of videotapes of his playing basketball before the two of them could do anything else.

    Workplace Examples

  • Because Shawna can connect with just about everyone, she has been a tremendous success at running our department which, as you know, is like a mini-U.N., comprising people from several countries. Shawna is extremely cosmopolitan and worldly, unlike her predecessor who was rather insular and narrow.

  • Our Caribbean branch office leads a pretty insular existence which is why their methods and procedures are so unique. I'll bet that fewer than five people from the continental U.S. have even visited there!

    Other Examples

  • your telling a colleague: "Twenty years ago, our company had a somewhat self-assured and insular corporate culture. There was very little contact with other companies' employees, even at industry conferences."

  • a key reason why the late Katherine Graham so ably shepherded her vast media empire, even while in her seventies: she shunned insularity and constantly strove to meet people of different backgrounds and age groups

  • sociologists warning that staying glued to the Internet for hours and hours during one's leisure time could lead to insularity and diminished social skills

  • the often-heard criticism from people of other continents about how most Americans are living in an insular world because we are much too preoccupied with the goings-on at home

    © 2003 V.J. Singal

    This Month's Other Words

    Equanimity
    Idolatry and Idolatrous
    Galvanic and Galvanize
    Unalloyed
    Excoriate
    Perfunctory
    Realpolitik

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