insular en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ˈɪnsjəlɚ/ (US)
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈɪnsjələ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈɪnsəlɚ/ (US)
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin īnsulāris (“of or belonging to an island”), from īnsula (“an island”), of uncertain origin.
Meanings
-
Of or being, pertaining to, situated on, or resembling an island or islands.
There now is your insular city of the Manhattoes, belted round by wharves as Indian isles by coral reefs—commerce surrounds it with her surf.
1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “Loomings”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 1:Near-synonym: islandic
At the time of the arrival of the Tonquin he had about forty schooners, of from twenty to thirty tons burthen, and one old American ship. With these he held undisputed sway over his insular domains, and carried on intercourse with the chiefs or governors whom he had placed in command of the several islands.
1836 October, Washington Irving, chapter VI, in Astoria, or Anecdotes of an Enterprise beyond the Rocky Mountains. […], volume I, Philadelphia, Pa.: [Henry Charles] Carey, [Isaac] Lea, & Blanchard, →OCLC, page 67:
-
Separate or isolated from the surroundings; having little regard for others opinions or prejudices; provincial.
Near-synonym: peninsular
Making Sense of the Sixties used the typical Americanocentric documentary style that avoided a world or historical context for events […] Other countries were mentioned only insofar as they disturbed the insular course of events in the United States.
1991 February 4, Owen Shows, “Start Making Sense”, in Gay Community News, volume 18, number 28, page 16:During the four years since his puppyhood he had lived the life of a sated aristocrat; he had a fine pride in himself, was even a trifle egotistical, as country gentlemen sometimes become because of their insular situation.
1903 July, Jack London, “Into the Primitive”, in The Call of the Wild, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., →OCLC, pages 18–19:
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Having an inward-looking, standoffish, or withdrawn manner.
Harriet was fretful and insular. Miss Abbott was pleasant, and insisted on praising everything: her only regret was that she had no pretty clothes with her.
1905, E[dward] M[organ] Forster, chapter VI, in Where Angels Fear to Tread, Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC, page 202:
- Relating to the insula in the brain.
- Relating to insulin.
- (often with a capital letter) Relating to the varieties of a language or languages spoken chiefly on islands. Insular Latin, Latin as it was spoken in Britain and Ireland. Insular Celtic, the Celtic languages of Britain, Ireland and also Brittany, as opposed to those spoken in mainland Europe other than Brittany. Insular Scandinavian, relating to the Icelandic and Faroese languages as opposed to the ones spoken in Sweden, Denmark and Norway.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most insular | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more insular | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Coordinates
Deriveds
parainsular · insularization · postinsular · circuminsular · insular dwarfism · semiinsular · perinsular · septinsular · superinsular · insular script · insularize · periinsular · insular gray fox · monoinsular · interinsular · enteroinsular · suprainsular · adipoinsular · insular Spaniard · polyinsular · preinsular · subinsular · macroinsular · uninsular · insularity · transinsular · insular cortex · operculoinsular · microinsular · insular s · frontoinsular · intrainsular · insular gigantism · palaeoinsular · retroinsular · noninsular · parietoinsular · insular tameness · insularly · hyperinsular
Relateds
insularism · insulate · insulator · isolate · isolation · insulation · isolator · peninsula
Synonyms
Translations (89)
ru островно́й (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · fr insulaire (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · sv avskild (separate or isolated from the surroundings) · sv ö- (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · fi saaristo- (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · sv isolerad (separate or isolated from the surroundings) · vo nisulik (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · ka კუნძულოვანი (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · pt isolado (separate or isolated from the surroundings) · fi saarimainen (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · sk ostrovný (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · mk тесноград (having an inward-looking manner) · fi insulaarinen (relating to the insula in the brain) · el νησιώτικος (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · de Insel- (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · uk острівни́й (situated on an island) · es insular (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · be вы́спавы (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · pt insular (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · hi टापूई (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · be астраўны́ (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · ru огоро́женный (separate or isolated from the surroundings) · sv ö- (situated on an island) · fi saari- (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · ru ограни́ченный (separate or isolated from the surroundings) · ko 섬의 (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · it insulare (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · pl wyspowy (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · ru за́мкнутый (having an inward-looking manner) · pl wyspiarski (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · ja 孤立した (separate or isolated from the surroundings) · hi जज़ीराई (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · be вы́спавы (situated on an island) · mk островски (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · hi द्वीपीय (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · ja 切り離された (separate or isolated from the surroundings) · gl insular (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · hy կղզային (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · uk острівни́й (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · bg о́стровен (situated on an island) · ms pulau (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · be вы́спенны (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · es insular (situated on an island) · be вы́спенны (situated on an island) · et saare- (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · pt isolada (separate or isolated from the surroundings) · ca insular (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · ms kepulauan (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · ca aïllat (separate or isolated from the surroundings) · ja 島の (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · vi hòn đảo (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · pt insular (situated on an island) · ja 島国根性の (having an inward-looking manner) · it limitato (having an inward-looking manner) · ro izolat (separate or isolated from the surroundings) · sv tillbakadragen (having an inward-looking manner) · be астраўны́ (situated on an island) · fi saari- (linguistics, anthropology) · gl insular (situated on an island) · ru за́мкнутый (separate or isolated from the surroundings) · sv insulär (situated on an island) · bg о́стровен (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · ru изоли́рованный (separate or isolated from the surroundings) · gl illado (separate or isolated from the surroundings) · sv insulär (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · it ristretto (having an inward-looking manner) · fi ennakkoluuloinen (having an inward-looking manner) · ca isolat (separate or isolated from the surroundings) · ru островно́й (situated on an island) · cmn 島的 /岛的 (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · fi aivosaaren (relating to the insula in the brain) · eo insula (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · ar جَزَرِيّ (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · cs ostrovní (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · fi saari- (situated on an island) · fi eristynyt (separate or isolated from the surroundings) · bg изоли́ран (separate or isolated from the surroundings) · ro insular (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · it di vedute ristrette (having an inward-looking manner) · fi insulaarinen (linguistics, anthropology) · it di corte vedute (having an inward-looking manner) · vi đảo (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · it chiuso in sé (having an inward-looking manner) · ja 偏狭な (having an inward-looking manner) · mk ограден (separate or isolated from the surroundings) · fi ahdasmielinen (having an inward-looking manner) · hy կղզու (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · it isolano (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands) · la īnsulāris (of, pertaining to, or resembling an island or islands)