asylum

noun

uh-SY-luhm/əˈsaɪləm/

Pluralasylums (some meanings), asyla (some meanings)

3 meanings of asylum

1
noununcountable
Safety and legal protection given to someone, especially a person who fled danger in their own country.
Like a safe shelter where no one can harm you, with the law on your side.
The family asked for asylum after fleeing the war.
She was granted asylum because returning home was too dangerous.
Similarrefuge, sanctuary, protection
Note
2
nouncountable or uncountable
A safe place where someone can go to escape danger.
Like a warm house you can run into when a storm hits.
The old church became an asylum for travelers caught in the storm.
They searched for some kind of asylum from the freezing wind.
Similarrefuge, sanctuary, haven, shelter
Note
3
noundatedcountable or uncountable
A place where people with mental illness were kept, cared for, and sometimes locked away.
Like an old-time hospital where troubled minds were sent to live.
Her uncle spent his final years in a county asylum outside the town.
The asylum on the hill housed hundreds of patients.
Similarinstitution, sanatorium
Note

Use it in a sentence

Write your own sentence with asylum, and AI will tell you whether it fits and which meaning you used.

Origin

From Latin asylum, which came from the Ancient Greek word ásulon.