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ivory tower
(redirected from ivory towers)

    Also found in: Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 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 [ˈtaʊə]
n
a.  seclusion or remoteness of attitude regarding real problems, everyday life, etc.
b.  (as modifier) ivory-tower aestheticism
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
Translations
ivory tower
n (fig) → Elfenbeinturm m
adj attr → weltfremd
ivory tower n → torre f d'avorio
ivory tower n → torre f d'avorio


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But, as these hard cases make clear, the parsing of "extraordinary" and "ordinary" care are not restricted to the ivory towers of moralists.
Last rights: mixed messages on end-of-life morality aren't good ... by Cones, Bryan / U.S. Catholic
That we might incubate in our disembodied, cold ivory towers some balance of light and dark, of sun and wind?
Had sex lately? by Brock, Rita Nakashima / Cross Currents
are only the most brazen of the barbarians massing at the gates of higher education's ivory towers.
Barbarians at higher eduction's gates: phony degree scams offer a ... by Castanegra, James Ottavio / University Business
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