- Today's Word
Luddite
[LUD-ayt]
Definition
- (noun) A person who is opposed to new technology or ways of working. It’s often used to describe someone who is resistant to technological change, particularly in the workplace or in everyday life.
Example
Despite everyone else in the office embracing the new project management software, Bob remained a luddite, insisting on using his old paper-based system.
Fun Fact
The term “Luddite” originated in the early 19th century during the Industrial Revolution in England. It refers to textile workers who protested against the introduction of labor-saving machinery by destroying it. They were supposedly led by a man named Ned Ludd, though his existence is debated. Today, the term has evolved beyond its original context to describe anyone resistant to technological change, often with a slightly derogatory connotation.
(adjective) Characterized by a narrow-minded focus on one’s own group or environment; closed off to outside ideas or perspectives.
The company’s insular culture — promoting only from within, dismissing outside perspectives, and treating change as a threat — had quietly calcified into the biggest obstacle to its own growth.
Insular derives from the Latin insularis, meaning “of an island,” from insula — “island.” It entered English in the 17th century with its literal meaning of relating to islands before quickly acquiring its figurative sense of the psychological condition associated with island life — a worldview bounded by water on all sides, self-contained, and instinctively resistant to what lies beyond the shoreline. The British, as an island nation, have had a complicated relationship with the word ever since.