SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS

insular

adjective

Narrow in outlook or isolated from outside ideas and influences.

Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
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Narrow in outlook

Closest synonyms

Related words and expressions

These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.

Usage distinction

Insular commonly criticizes limited exposure or receptiveness; self-contained can be neutral or approving.

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CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT

See insular in use

The insular club rarely sought opinions from beyond its membership.
Dictionary practice example.
To challenge its insular habits, the collective invited artists from several different communities to describe their work. The coordinator stressed that provincial thinking was a narrowness of outlook, not a judgment about anyone's hometown.
From Beyond the Familiar.

Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.

Synonym reference scope and sources

The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.

How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license

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