asylum
[noun]
Synonyms:
- refuge, harbour, haven, preserve, retreat, safety, sanctuary, shelter
- mental hospital, hospital, institution, madhouse (informal), psychiatric hospital

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Related Idioms: insane (or lunatic) asylum, mental hospital (or institution), state hospital
Related Words: inviolability, security, farm, home, institution, sanatorium

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

a‧sy‧lum /əˈsaɪləm/ noun
[Date: 1400-1500; Language: Latin; Origin: Greek asylon, from asylos 'not able to be seized']

1. [uncountable] protection given to someone by a government because they have escaped from fighting or political trouble in their own country
apply for/seek/be granted asylum
He has been granted asylum in France. ⇒ political asylum

2. [countable] old use a mental hospital

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

asylum
noun
I. protection given by a government
ADJ. temporary | political
VERB + ASYLUM apply for, claim, request, seek She fled the country, and is now seeking asylum in Sweden.
give sb, grant sb, offer sb, provide (sb with) | get, receive | deny sb, refuse sb Over 400 people have been refused asylum.
ASYLUM + NOUN seeker bogus/genuine asylum seekers
application, claim
PHRASES an application for asylum, the right to asylum Those fleeing from the war have the right to asylum.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

asylum
II. mental hospital
ADJ. lunatic, mental
PREP. in ~ He spent three years in an asylum.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

asylum
noun
BAD: Asylums are typically seen as places where people go to die.
GOOD: Hospices are typically seen as places where people go to die.

Usage Note:
asylum = (old-fashioned) a hospital for the mentally ill, nowadays known as a psychiatric hospital
hospice = a special type of hospital for people who are dying
Note also the term old people's home = a place where old people go to live when they need someone to look after them: 'She'd rather stay in an old people's home than be a burden to her family.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲