as in parochial
not broad or open in views or opinions
an insular community that is not receptive of new ideas, especially from outsiders
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Recent Examples of insular
Our heroine is Devon (Meghann Fahy), a hot mess from Buffalo who has arrived on a rich and insular Martha’s Vineyard-eque island in search of her younger sister Simone (Milly Alcock).
—
Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 22 May 2025
Business history is littered with failures rooted in the suppression of dissenting views:
Swissair’s board became increasingly insular and overconfident before the airline's collapse in 2002.
—Roger Dooley, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
The festival, a champion of world cinema, which normally positions itself above the insular tastes of the Academy, knew the significance of the moment.
—Thomas Page, CNN Money, 11 May 2025
Many knowledgeable people around Major League Baseball, and some people with your organization, believe that the Rockies are too insular.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 11 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for insular
Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 22 May 2025
Business history is littered with failures rooted in the suppression of dissenting views:
Swissair’s board became increasingly insular and overconfident before the airline's collapse in 2002.
—Roger Dooley, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
The festival, a champion of world cinema, which normally positions itself above the insular tastes of the Academy, knew the significance of the moment.
—Thomas Page, CNN Money, 11 May 2025
Many knowledgeable people around Major League Baseball, and some people with your organization, believe that the Rockies are too insular.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 11 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for insular
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insular
Adjective
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Yet somehow, all these factors, seemingly easily translatable across the world’s cuisines, has led to an intensely parochial guide.—
Tulasi Srinivas,
The Conversation,
3 June 2025
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This is a parochial political world, overshadowed by the federal bureaucracy.—
Cuneyt Dil,
Axios,
25 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Farmers watered their crops less, and saw smaller harvests as a result.—
Annika Merrilees,
Sacbee.com,
7 June 2025
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Yes, Georgia and Paul split this season as the blowback from the trial — and Paul's support of Proposition 38, disastrous for small businesses — imperiled his mayoral career.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
7 June 2025
Adjective
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Which party is willing to set aside petty differences and ego, and work in the interests of American prosperity?—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
6 June 2025
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This Christlike journey of scapegoating and torment ends in comeuppance for the haters and doubters, whose petty provocations tend to evoke a Bond villain in adolescence.—
Joshua Hunt,
Vulture,
5 June 2025
Adjective
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For decades, international philanthropy has framed Africa through a narrow lens: a continent in need, a landscape of poverty, disaster and helplessness.—
Victoria Philips,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
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Beach replenishment also is planned, but the narrow right-of-way through San Clemente includes no room for a second set of tracks.—
Phil Diehl,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Insular.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insular. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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