English · Word Candidate

asylum

/əˈsaɪləm/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: asylums · asyla · asyluming · asylumed

Sense 1

Meaning · English

A place of safety or refuge.

Noun

Examples

All the busy concerns of daily existence were utterly abhorrent to me. I loathed the sound of others' voices—I hated to be mixed up with their petty routine of ordinary cares; here was an asylum offered to me—here I might lay down all the offices of humanity, and dwell beside that grave whose rest w

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

The protection, physical and legal, afforded by such a place (as, for example, for political refugees).

Noun

Examples

So lawyers started filing separate asylum requests for the children, arguing that reintegrating in countries they barely knew, after spending their childhood or adolescence in Belgium, would not only be impossible but would expose them to serious risks.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Meaning · English

to place in an asylum

VerbRegister: dated

Examples

It was she who in the last few years had spread abroad the notion that Charles Nagle, in the public interest, should be asylumed.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 4

Meaning · English

to grant protection or refuge

VerbRegister: dated

Examples

We have..sheltered its paupers, asylumed its orphans, clothed its nakedness.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “asylum” mean?

A place of safety or refuge.

Is “asylum” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.