sheltered

[shel-terd]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sheltered ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

protected or shielded from storms, missiles, etc., by a wall, roof, barrier, or the like.

protected from the troubles, annoyances, sordidness, etc., encountered in competitive situations: a sheltered life.

(of a business or industry) enjoying noncompetitive conditions, as because of a protective tariff.

of or relating to employment or housing, especially for persons with disabilities, in a noncompetitive, supervised environment.

Origin of sheltered

First recorded in 1585–95; shelter + -ed²

Related formsself-shel·tered, adjectiveun·shel·tered, adjectivewell-shel·tered, adjective

shelter

[shel-ter]

noun

something beneath, behind, or within which a person, animal, or thing is protected from storms, missiles, adverse conditions, etc.; refuge.

the protection or refuge afforded by such a thing: He took shelter in a nearby barn.

protection from blame, incrimination, etc.

a dwelling place or home considered as a refuge from the elements: Everyone's basic needs are food, clothing, and shelter.

a building serving as a temporary refuge or residence for homeless persons, abandoned animals, etc.

Finance. tax shelter.

verb (used with object)

to be a shelter for; afford shelter to: The old barn sheltered him from the rain.

to provide with a shelter; place under cover.

to protect, as by shelter; take under one's protection: Parents should not try to shelter their children from normal childhood disappointments.

Finance. to invest (money) in a tax shelter.

verb (used without object)

to take shelter; find a refuge: He sheltered in a barn.

Finance. to invest money in a tax shelterd.

Origin of shelter

1575–85; perhaps alteration of obsolete sheltron testudo, Old English scieldtruma, equivalent to scield shield + truma body of fighting men; see trim

Related formsshel·ter·er, nounshel·ter·ing·ly, adverbshel·ter·less, adjectiveshel·ter·less·ness, nounself-shel·ter, nounun·shel·ter·ing, adjective

Synonyms for shelter

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR shelter ON THESAURUS.COM

1. retreat, asylum, sanctuary, shield, haven, harbor. 7. harbor, house. 9. guard, safeguard, shield, defend.

Synonym study

1. See cover.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for sheltered

shady, protected, veiled, screened, protective

Examples from the Web for sheltered

Contemporary Examples of sheltered

After all, radically purist ideologies need to be sheltered from the vagaries of the world, and they can be expensive to maintain.
Will Saudi Arabia Execute Guest Workers for 'Witchcraft'?
Michael Schulson
March 29, 2014
I did this because my entire life was sheltered in a box, and I needed to figure it out.
Porn's Behind-the-Camera Feminists
Emily Shire
February 26, 2014
In one story in this collection, a sheltered young boy witnesses the abduction of his neighbor and decides whether to intervene.
The National Book Awards Longlist for Fiction
September 19, 2013
Maybe it is the sheltered liberals who are trying to have their Tea Nana and drink it too.
Israeli Mayor: If I'm Racist, So Is Israel
Mira Sucharov
August 8, 2013
The baby would have been sheltered under the mother as the adults formed a protective circle, facing outward.
How to Capture an Elephant: Excerpt From Michael Daly’s ‘Topsy’
Michael Daly
July 8, 2013

Historical Examples of sheltered

The brain is hidden in darkness, sheltered within a box of bone.
The Call of the Twentieth Century
David Starr Jordan
Then the day slipped over an unseen height, and fell into a sheltered calm.
Tiverton Tales
Alice Brown
The friendly creature who sheltered him trembled like an aspen.
The Hunted Outlaw
Anonymous
In sheltered spots the glass rose as high as 31, and symptoms of a thaw appeared.
The Field of Ice
Jules Verne
Frank tied the boat in a sheltered spot at the foot of the cliff.
Frank Roscoe's Secret
Allen Chapman

British Dictionary definitions for sheltered

sheltered

adjective

protected from wind or weathera sheltered garden

protected from outside influencesa sheltered upbringing

(of buildings) specially designed to provide a safe environment for the elderly, handicapped, or disabledsheltered workshops for the blind See also sheltered housing

shelter

noun

something that provides cover or protection, as from weather or danger; place of refuge

the protection afforded by such a cover; refuge

the state of being sheltered

verb

(tr) to provide with or protect by a shelter

(intr) to take cover, as from rain; find refuge

(tr) to act as a shelter for; take under one's protection

Derived Formsshelterer, nounshelterless, adjective

Word Origin for shelter

C16: of uncertain origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for sheltered

adj.

"screened, protected," 1590s, past participle adjective from shelter (v.). Meaning "protected from the usual hardships of life" is from 1888. Related: Shelteredness.

shelter

1580s, "structure affording protection," possibly an alteration of Middle English sheltron, sheldtrume "roof or wall formed by locked shields," from Old English scyldtruma, from scield "shield" (see shield (n.)) + truma "troop," related to Old English trum "firm, strong" (see trim).

If so, the original notion is of a compact body of men protected by interlocking shields. OED finds this "untenable" and proposed derivation from shield + -ture. Figurative sense is recorded from 1580s; meaning "temporary lodging for homeless poor" is first recorded 1890 in Salvation Army jargon; sense of "temporary home for animals" is from 1971. Related: Shelterless.

shelter

1580s, "to screen, protect," from shelter (n.); in the income investment sense, from 1955. Meaning "to take shelter" is from c.1600. Related: Sheltered; sheltering.