as in shelters
something (as a building) that offers cover from the weather or protection from danger
the embassy serves as an asylum for that country's nationals in need of help
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Recent Examples of asylums
For example, sociologist Erving Goffman showed that the way care is structured in asylums shaped how patients are treated.
—
Jennifer Singh, The Conversation, 8 Jan. 2026
Such a light as this should shine only on murders and public crime, or along the corridors of lunatic asylums.
—Rowan Jacobsen, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Many former asylums are now macabre tourist attractions, whose treatment of their subject matter can range from the sensitive to the sensationalist.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
But worst of all is the knowledge that all of these terrors were trademarks of the asylums that stowed away those with mental health conditions well into the 20th century.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Oct. 2025
Both were institutionalized and died in asylums, her under mysterious circumstances, him at the age of 26.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2025
Over the past decade a range of politicians and public figures have called to rebuild asylums in order to address the country’s mental health crisis.
—Jay Neugeboren, The New York Review of Books, 25 May 2025
Jennifer Singh, The Conversation, 8 Jan. 2026
Such a light as this should shine only on murders and public crime, or along the corridors of lunatic asylums.
—Rowan Jacobsen, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Many former asylums are now macabre tourist attractions, whose treatment of their subject matter can range from the sensitive to the sensationalist.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
But worst of all is the knowledge that all of these terrors were trademarks of the asylums that stowed away those with mental health conditions well into the 20th century.
—James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Oct. 2025
Both were institutionalized and died in asylums, her under mysterious circumstances, him at the age of 26.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2025
Over the past decade a range of politicians and public figures have called to rebuild asylums in order to address the country’s mental health crisis.
—Jay Neugeboren, The New York Review of Books, 25 May 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for asylums
Noun
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The volunteer team delivers about 80 flower arrangements between April and October to about 100 places that need a smile, including hospitals, grief support groups, and shelters.—
Sharon Chin,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
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About this many schools are being used by warring sides or are shelters for displaced people, according to UNICEF.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Why perpetuate this problem in city parks — our best refuges from the danger, noise and congestion of city streets?—
Jon Orcutt,
New York Daily News,
14 Mar. 2026
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Aire Ancient Baths A subterranean theater of candlelit pools and vaulted brick, Aire remains one of the city’s few strictly phone-and-camera-free refuges.—
Amy Louise Bailey,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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With full kitchens, massive stone fireplaces, and en-suite sanctuaries for every guest, they are thoughtfully designed for multi-generational travel.—
Amy Louise Bailey,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Apr. 2026
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In the two decades that followed, several Quaker, Presbyterian, Catholic and Jewish congregations across America and Canada used their houses of worship as sanctuaries for Central American refugees who were fleeing civil war, government repression and genocide.—
Menika Dirkson,
The Conversation,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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According to By the Sea’s website, the company owns seven Panama City Beach beachfront hotels, two group retreats and two beachfront restaurants.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
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This part of the Indian Himalayas is especially important for pilgrims seeking spiritual retreats, most famously at the Kainchi Dham ashram, where Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg spent time.—
Elizabeth Cantrell,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Safe havens, which would typically sell-off in a de-escalation, also found support.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
8 Apr. 2026
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Both are retirement havens that have attracted residents from the Front Range with lower living costs, and in the case of Grand Junction, a more temperate climate.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Asylums.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/asylums. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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