insular
Americanadjective
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narrow-minded or illiberal; provincial.
insular attitudes toward foreigners.
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standing alone; detached; isolated.
an insular building.
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of or relating to an island or islands.
a nation's insular possessions.
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dwelling or situated on an island.
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forming an island.
insular rocks.
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of, relating to, or characteristic of islanders or isolated people.
insular tribes;
insular sects.
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Pathology. occurring in or characterized by one or more isolated spots, patches, or the like.
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Anatomy. pertaining to an island of cells or tissue, as the islets of Langerhans.
noun
adjective
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of, relating to, or resembling an island
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remote, detached, or aloof
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illiberal or narrow-minded
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isolated or separated
Other Word Forms
- insularism noun
- insularity noun
- insularly adverb
- interinsular adjective
- transinsular adjective
- uninsular adjective
Etymology
Origin of insular
From the Late Latin word insulāris, dating back to 1605–15. See insula, -ar 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One can see the attraction for writers: the insular setting, the acceptance of eccentricity, the entrenchment of the otherwise unemployable, and the ease by which one can lampoon social trends.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026
Warsh has described the Fed as insular and committed to outdated economic models.
From Barron's • Jan. 30, 2026
“We were extremely inconsiderate, insular and uncommunicative with each other that things like that always spilled on the sidelines,” the drummer said on the podcast.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2026
From a scientific perspective, warm social contact activates specialised C-tactile afferents and temperature-sensitive pathways that send signals to the insular cortex.
From Science Daily • Jan. 4, 2026
Their world was insular, away from the real world that I was running from.
From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
