ivory tower
English
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ivory tower
- /ˈaɪvəɹi ˈtaʊə/ UK
- /ˈaɪvəɹi ˈtaʊɚ/ US
Where it comes from
Calque of French tour d'ivoire, based on a biblical phrase, coined by Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve to compare the poet Alfred de Vigny (more isolated) with Victor Hugo (more socially engaged).
First attested in English in a translation of Laughter by French philosopher Henri Bergson (1911). The term was popularized in The Ivory Tower (1917) by Henry James, though used in different sense (millionaires, not professors).
noun ivory towers
- A sheltered, overly-academic existence or perspective, implying a disconnection or lack of awareness of reality or practical considerations. Such a proposal looks fine from an ivory tower, but it could never work in real life.
adjective more ivory tower · most ivory tower
- Separated from reality and practical matters; overly academic. The majority of librarians appear to have shown a very ivory tower approach to the application of all types of management technique to librarianship.
Translations
Every language
noun overly-academic perspective
| Español | torre de marfil |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 상아탑 sang'atap |
| 日本語 | 象牙の塔 zōge no tō |
| 中文 | 象牙塔 xiàngyátǎ |
| Português | torre de marfim |
| Français | tour d'ivoire |
| Deutsch | Elfenbeinturm |
| Italiano | torre d'avorio, torre eburnea |
| Русский | ба́шня из слоно́вой ко́сти bášnja iz slonóvoj kósti |
| Tiếng Việt | tháp ngà |
Talk about this word "ivory tower." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ivory%20tower. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. ivory tower. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ivory%20tower "ivory tower." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ivory%20tower.Cite this
@misc{ivory_tower_2026,
title = {ivory tower},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ivory%20tower},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
