Master confusing words with ease
Ivory tower vs. Ivy tower
Ivory tower
/ˌaɪvəri ˈtaʊər/Examples:
She prefers her ivory tower lifestyle, away from reality.Academics often get accused of living in their ivory towers.The CEO operates from an ivory tower, disconnected from the team.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Ivy tower
/ˈaɪ.vi ˌtaʊ.ər/Examples:
She spent her days in the ivy tower of academia.His views were criticized as ivy tower elitism.They called him an ivy tower intellectual, detached from reality.
Synonyms:
This word has no synonymsAntonyms:
Ways to tell them apart:
- Ivory tower refers to a metaphorical place where people are disconnected from the practicalities and problems of the real world. Remember it by the image of ivory being precious yet impractical in everyday life.
- Ivy tower is not a recognized phrase; people often mistakenly say it when they mean ivory tower. Instead, think of ivy as a plant that clings to reality and surfaces, unlike the abstract and disconnected notion of an ivory tower.
- To distinguish them, associate ivory with its status as a luxury good that symbolizes isolation and elitism, contrasting ivy which is grounded and tangible.
- Imagine Ivory as a rare and expensive material suggesting exclusivity and remoteness.
- Keep in mind that ivory tower suggests isolation from the real world, whereas ivy doesn't symbolize such a concept.
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