asylum

American  

[uh-sahy-luhm] / əˈsaɪ ləm /

noun

• asylums,
  plural
• asyla
  plural

1. 

   (especially formerly) an institution for the maintenance and care of the mentally ill, orphans, or other persons requiring specialized assistance.

2. an inviolable refuge, as formerly for criminals and debtors; sanctuary.

   He sought asylum in the church.

   Synonyms:

   retreat, shelter, haven

3. International Law.

   1. a refuge granted an alien by a sovereign state on its own territory.

   2. a temporary refuge granted political offenders, especially in a foreign embassy.

4. any secure retreat.

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asylum British  

/ əˈsaɪləm /

noun

1. a safe or inviolable place of refuge, esp as formerly offered by the Christian Church to criminals, outlaws, etc; sanctuary (often in the phrase give asylum to )

2. shelter; refuge

3. international law refuge afforded to a person whose extradition is sought by a foreign government

   political asylum

4. obsolete an institution for the shelter, treatment, or confinement of individuals, esp a mental hospital (formerly termed lunatic asylum )

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• asyla
  plural
• asylums
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of asylum

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin, from Greek ásȳlon “sanctuary,” from a- a- ⁶ + sŷlon “right of seizure”

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Explanation

When someone needs a refuge from a difficult or dangerous situation, they need asylum. If a government offers to protect people who have fled war or hardship in their own country, it gives them asylum. You may have heard asylum used to describe an institution where insane people are housed, but did you know that an asylum can also be somewhere you’d happily and willingly go? An asylum offers shelter and protection, like the awning of a building in a downpour. Or it could be a country that takes in refugees in danger of persecution — otherwise known as "political asylum."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

asylum asyla asylums

“Because you don’t get asylum does not mean you committed fraud, it just means you were ineligible.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

They received asylum and eventually formed an integration team, the Mighty Cosmos, that advanced as high as the fifth division of Swedish soccer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

Carney said Tuesday that he had spoken with Smith to discuss future cooperation and noted that there had been large reductions of asylum seekers, international students and temporary foreign workers in Canada.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

She told her employer at the Home Office, where she worked as an asylum decision maker, that Nathan had disappeared in Russia and she had sought help from the reporter.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

“You’re kind,” he said, “not like the other one. You won’t put me to the asylum, will you?”

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

Greece had its famous asyla, but the custom of our own country was probably influenced from Hebrew rather than classical sources.

From Legal Lore Curiosities of Law and Lawyers by Various

We no longer write of ideæ, chori, asyla, musea, sphinges, specimina for ideas, choruses, asylums, museums, sphinxes, specimens, and the notion of returning to such plurals would seem barbarous and absurd.

From Society for Pure English, Tract 03 (1920) A Few Practical Suggestions by Society for Pure English

Or were they swimming with the normative current in order to maintain careers, families, social standing — or, for that matter, to avoid being sent to asylums for shock treatment?

From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2026

Orson and Lorenzo, consummate showmen, were summoned to prisons, where they inspected the heads of inmates and guessed their crimes; at lunatic asylums they were challenged to identify the patients’ disorders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026

It is open to those with an interest in "history and mystery" and involves picking up on paranormal activity using "the latest ghost-hunting equipment" at Willow Court, one of Australia's oldest asylums.

From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2024

Promoters of forced treatment often push a well-known tale: Since the 1950s, many state hospital asylums have closed, and strict, rights-protecting mental health laws emerged.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2023

Others suffered nightmares and panic attacks for the rest of their lives, and some shell-shock victims were confined to insane asylums.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

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Related Words

• haven
• refuge
• sanctuary
• shelter

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