insularity

[ in-suh--lar-i-tee, ins-yuh- ]

noun

1. the state or condition of being an island:

   Great Britain, because of its insularity, was only reachable by sea until 1785, when the first balloon successfully crossed the English Channel by air.

2. the state or condition of dwelling on or being situated on an island:

   None of the other aspects of the fossil show adaptations common among island dwellers, so insularity is not a good argument to explain its form.

3. the state or condition of being detached or isolated:

   Growing populations have in many places made the insularity of religious communities difficult to preserve.

4. the state or condition of being narrow-minded or provincial:

   Our neighbors' insularity was both psychological and cultural: they had no interest whatsoever in literature, history, art, government, science, film, or the outdoors.

Word History and Origins

Origin of insularity¹

insular ( def ) + -ity ( def )

Example Sentences

But much of the action takes place in ordinary rooms and pubs, often dimly lighted as befits a milieu cloaked in secrecy and insularity.

From Los Angeles Times

It also highlights how a culture that prides itself on its insularity is grappling with the recent influx of people from abroad.

From Seattle Times

“Oppenheimer” is a tale of what we hath wrought, filtered through the experience of a man whose pallid complexion and tormented insularity make him look like an envoy from the Grim Reaper himself.

From Los Angeles Times

This reflected "the same management insularity and tolerance of bad practice identified in the review", she told the Senedd.

From BBC

Chandra Kurt, a Swiss wine writer and consultant who also has her own line of Swiss-produced wines, speculates that her country's insularity about its wine is keeping in the national character.

From Salon