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
Had the network declined the option, there would have been panic in the streets and ivory towers alike.
—
Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2025
The ivory tower has always been metaphoric, but as Steven Shapin shows, its symbolic value has shifted over the centuries.
—JSTOR Daily, 8 Jan. 2025
Employing a broader set of criteria should encourage them to occasionally look up from their desks and out from the ivory tower.
—Peter Campbell, Foreign Affairs, 15 Sep. 2013
The same is true with regard to the corporate and media boardrooms, the ivory towers of academia and America’s penthouses.
—Lonnie Groot, Orlando Sentinel, 5 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for ivory tower 
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Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2025
The ivory tower has always been metaphoric, but as Steven Shapin shows, its symbolic value has shifted over the centuries.
—JSTOR Daily, 8 Jan. 2025
Employing a broader set of criteria should encourage them to occasionally look up from their desks and out from the ivory tower.
—Peter Campbell, Foreign Affairs, 15 Sep. 2013
The same is true with regard to the corporate and media boardrooms, the ivory towers of academia and America’s penthouses.
—Lonnie Groot, Orlando Sentinel, 5 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for ivory tower
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 11 Feb. 2025.
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