asylum
noun
(especially formerly) an institution for the maintenance and care of the mentally ill, orphans, or other persons requiring specialized assistance.
asylums
-
pluralof asylum.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
The Magdalene Laundries were back in the spotlight recently following the death of Irish singer Sinead O'Connor, who spent time in one of the former asylums as a teenager.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2023
In the 1960s, there was a major push in California and nationally to close asylums and treat people with serious mental illnesses in their communities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 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
