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Insular: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Insular adjective. Interested only in your own small world and wary of outsiders.
How to say it
IN-syuh-luh/ˈɪnsjʊlə/ · American /ˈɪnsələr/
3 syllables, stressed on the first (IN).
Meanings
- Interested only in your own small world and wary of outsiders.
- Of, on or like an island.
Insular in a sentence
The village could be insular, suspicious of anyone whose grandparents weren’t buried there.
Travel cured him of his insular habits and his fear of olives.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- parochial
- narrow-minded
- provincial
- inward-looking
Opposite:
- cosmopolitan
- open-minded
Where insular comes from
From Latin insularis, from insula, island.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
Travel cured him of his _____ habits and his fear of olives.
- insular
- bucolic
- becalmed
Show the answer
insular: Travel cured him of his insular habits and his fear of olives.