safe space

noun

: a place (as on a college campus) intended to be free of bias, conflict, criticism, or potentially threatening actions, ideas, or conversations
… student volunteers put up posters advertising that a "safe space" would be available for anyone who found the debate too upsetting.Judith Shulevitz
Women, sexual assault victims, people of color, transgender students. College campuses have created "safe spaces" for all sorts of marginalized groups.Catherine Rampell

Examples of safe space in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But the cafe is not only a place to work, it's become a safe space for others with disabilities to dine. Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2024 Characters in stories face challenges while experiencing and navigating emotions, providing children a safe space to understand and express their own feelings. Children’s Institute, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024 What if creating a safe space all of your own means just getting off the internet altogether? Adrienne So, WIRED, 8 Apr. 2024 Late clients, lack of hair integrity and unnecessary deposit fees are causing the Black hair community’s safe space to become an uncomfortable environment. Essence, 8 Apr. 2024 Should any other adults in their lives be present? Create a welcoming environment for the conversation Choose a calm, safe space and time to bring up your diagnosis with childrens. Sarah Klein, TIME, 4 Apr. 2024 Add in a couple of LGBTQ+ teens from the neighborhood in need of shelter, and the house is essentially part all-inclusive safe space, part island of misfit toys. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2024 And that hula is providing a safe space for the community to heal. Katherine Itoh, NBC News, 30 Mar. 2024 Creating a safe space for co-experimentation allows all parties to explore new offerings, business models and market opportunities. John Jarosz, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'safe space.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of safe space was in 1970

Dictionary Entries Near safe space

Cite this Entry

“Safe space.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/safe%20space. Accessed 1 May. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!