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

For many attendees, the convention is known to be an epicenter and safe space to celebrate anime and cartoons. —Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 27 Apr. 2026

Others found the home to be a safe space amidst a sea of uncertainty. —Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 26 Apr. 2026

So that took away some of the daunting and left a pretty safe space to try stuff and be playful. —Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 24 Apr. 2026

With that disclosure out in the open, the rest of the squirmy attendees subtly sank deeper into their seats, accepting Steinem’s orbit as a safe space. —Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 22 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for safe space

• aerospace
• anatase
• anyplace
• commonplace
• cyberspace
• database
• diabase
• diastase
• dnase
• elastase
• fireplace
• hyperspace