insular

[in-suh-ler, ins-yuh-]

adjective

1. narrow-minded or illiberal; provincial.

   insular attitudes toward foreigners.

2. standing alone; detached; isolated.

   an insular building.

3. of or relating to an island or islands.

   a nation's insular possessions.

4. dwelling or situated on an island.

5. forming an island.

   insular rocks.

6. of, relating to, or characteristic of islanders or isolated people.

   insular tribes;

   insular sects.

7. Pathology.,  occurring in or characterized by one or more isolated spots, patches, or the like.

8. Anatomy.,  pertaining to an island of cells or tissue, as the islets of Langerhans.

noun

1. an inhabitant of an island; islander.

insular

/ ˌɪnsjʊˈlærɪtɪ, ˈɪnsjʊlə /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or resembling an island

2. remote, detached, or aloof

3. illiberal or narrow-minded

4. isolated or separated

Other Word Forms

• insularism noun
• insularity noun
• insularly adverb
• interinsular adjective
• transinsular adjective
• uninsular adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of insular¹

From the Late Latin word insulāris, dating back to 1605–15. See insula, -ar ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of insular¹

C17: from Late Latin insulāris, from Latin insula island, _isle

Example Sentences

The agency was just like the Saginaw he’d run from, Dudek said: an insular, hidebound place where everyone knew everyone and they all thought innovation would cost them their jobs.

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Stokes' effort to get fit made him insular and grumpy, eventually taking it out on the team on the field in Multan, for which he later apologised.

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Both bands got there after years building devoted, insular fandoms, while also serving as entry points into the genre for newcomers.

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"But what I learned is that a lot of songwriters are introspective, insular people - and when you throw them in front of a camera, it's quite challenging."

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Across the amygdala and the insular cortex, typically associated with emotional processing, he found that brain scans showed consistent patterns for positive and negative emotions, but not mixed emotions.

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Related Words

• circumscribed www.thesaurus.com
• isolated 
• parochial 
• petty