asylums

noun

plural of asylum
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of asylums Such a light as this should shine only on murders and public crime, or along the corridors of lunatic asylums. — Literary Hub, 17 June 2026 Conditions varied, but some asylums gained reputations as brutal, overcrowded warehouses where patients were neglected and restrained. — ABC News, 24 May 2026 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for asylums
  1. shelters
  2. refuges
  3. sanctuaries
  4. retreats
  5. havens
Noun
  • Evacuees can receive assistance from the Long Beach Health Department, and city buses will help residents connect to immediate shelters.
    — Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Pounding his fists on the table, the mayor accused the government of not providing residents with enough bomb shelters almost three years into a multifront war.
    — Dina Kraft, Christian Science Monitor, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of shelters
Noun
  • Travelers can spend a few weeks following the entire route or easily choose a section to experience the historic river towns, scenic overlooks, wildlife refuges, and communities built along the mighty Mississippi.
    — Abby Price, Travel + Leisure, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Such spaces create temporary refuges from the digital stream, and allow habits of slowness, concentration, and absorption to become socially reinforced.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of refuges
Noun
  • Not all portions of Grand Traverse County are open to deer hunting and some whitetails are able to grow old in those sanctuaries.
    — Richard P. Smith, Outdoor Life, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The waterfront suites with private verandahs and two-bedroom plunge pool villas are special sanctuaries.
    — Baz Dreisinger, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of sanctuaries
Noun
  • As ayahuasca went global, luxury retreats charged thousands of dollars, untrained facilitators set up shop, and ceremonies were stripped of the songs, diets and community obligations that gave them meaning.
    — Pardis Mahdavi, The Conversation, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Far more rarely, people have killed themselves after intensive meditation retreats.
    — Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of retreats
Noun
  • Foreign central banks and other institutions looking for a safe place to park their capital have diminished roles in the Treasury market and have increasingly turned to alternative havens like gold.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Past its glory days, the street adopted a grimier reputation, with crime and dangerous drivers, but there was a vision to transform it into something resembling Magnolia Avenue, or one of south Fort Worth’s pedestrian havens.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of havens

Browse Nearby Words

asylum
asylums
asymmetrical
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Cite this Entry

“Asylums.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/asylums. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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