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ivory tower

   Also found in: Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.03 sec.
ivory tower
n.
A place or attitude of retreat, especially preoccupation with lofty, remote, or intellectual considerations rather than practical everyday life.
[Translation of French tour d'ivoire : tour, tower + de, of + ivoire, ivory.]
ivory tower
Noun
remoteness from the realities of everyday life
ivory-towered adj
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.ivory tower - a state of mind that is discussed as if it were a place; "he lived in the ivory tower of speculation"; "they viewed universities as ivory towers"
cognitive state, state of mind - the state of a person's cognitive processes
ivory tower
noun seclusion, remoteness, unreality, retreat, refuge, cloister, sanctum, splendid isolation, world of your own
Translations
ivory tower n (fig) → torre f de marfil
ivory tower ivory n (fig) → Elfenbeinturm m
ivory tower n → torre f d'avorio


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? Mentioned in ? References in periodicals archive
 
``The whole homeless advocacy world is busy talking about governance and structure and things that I guess, in an ivory tower, a university campus is very important to study up on the 11th floor of a social science building,'' Yaroslavsky said.
CREDIT SET TO HELP THE HOMELESS AGENCIES PROVIDED AID, COMPLAINED ... by Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)
As Prince El Hassan bin Talal said, "A healthy exchange between scholars and experts can only strengthen our ties and interests in regional issues, but I would like to see our ivory tower discussions translate into practicable solutions on the ground.
The Second World Congress on Middle Eastern Studies by Raman, Jemima / Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
They're a bunch of suits in an ivory tower trying to decide what we should see, what we shouldn't see.
Cartoons makes cowards of us all: American editors pine: "if we only ... by Cavanaugh, Tim / Reason
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