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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for asylums
  1. shelters
  2. refuges
  3. sanctuaries
  4. retreats
  5. havens
Noun
  • Last week torrential rains triggered deadly mudslides and flooding in Cox’s Bazar, flattening shelters and killing more than a dozen people, including children.
    — Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
  • Samoyed dogs actually slept in the shelters with their people.
    — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 15 July 2026
Definition of shelters
Noun
  • This vanishing act is due largely to the thousands of walleye seeking out cool water refuges in the lake, which can shift depending on the weather, experts say.
    — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 14 July 2026
  • Of course, there’s an aesthetic component to the National Park Service’s selection of land, too, as the landscapes range from wetlands and wildlife refuges to marshes.
    — Josh Laskin, Travel + Leisure, 3 July 2026
Definition of refuges
Noun
  • In 2016, the Buenos Aires Zoo was transformed into an eco-park, removing animals from display and relocating many of them to sanctuaries.
    — Sol Amaya, CNN Money, 13 July 2026
  • India’s national parks and wildlife sanctuaries have been home to several iconic Bengal tigers, many of them renowned for their massive size.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 July 2026
Definition of sanctuaries
Noun
  • The Oaktree Capital Management cofounder and his wife, Nancy, have owned La Posada and Sa Punta for more than a decade, using the adjoining properties as holiday retreats.
    — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 15 July 2026
  • Decades later, Regent Phu Quoc is the product of an ambitious brand revival and has already raised the bar in a country that isn’t exactly short of dreamy beach retreats.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 July 2026
Definition of retreats
Noun
  • The rise of dopamine decor has shifted our perspective from designing our homes for others' enjoyment to reimagining our dwellings as havens that spark our own happiness.
    — Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 June 2026
  • Nothing is as attractive to a skunk as a cozy woodpile or rock pile to den in, says Fyffe, so keeping your yard free from those skunk havens is key.
    — Felicia Feaster, Martha Stewart, 20 June 2026
Definition of havens

Browse Nearby Words

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asylums
asymmetrical
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Cite this Entry

“Asylums.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/asylums. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

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