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

Forced out for the last time, Batista flew to Jacksonville and unsuccessfully requested asylum in the U.S.

From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2026

After seeking asylum there, she says she followed an immigration adviser's recommendation to temporarily exit the country to apply for a work visa.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

When conducting research in the archives of an abandoned asylum, a woman begins to hear the voices of the insane.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

Mexico received 70,500 asylum applications last year, the United Nations says.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

Irwin offered to drive me home, but I didn't see how I could let him drive me to the asylum, so I dug in my pocketbook for Joan's address.

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath

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

In the 1960s, public opinion turned against involuntary commitments and the abuses of “snakepit” asylums.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2024

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

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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