asylum

/əˈsaɪləm/ (bre, ipa) · /əˈsaɪləm/ (ame, ipa) · /ə-ˈsī-ləm/ (ame, mw)

asylum — noun

1. the legal right to remain in a foreign state, granted by its authorities when re

1.名詞C1
釋義

the legal right to remain in a foreign state, granted by its authorities when returning home would put the person at risk of imprisonment, violence, or persecution — typically because of war, political beliefs, or membership of a targeted group.

例句

Maria fled Belarus in 2020 and was granted political asylum in Germany.

passive: be granted asylum in [country]

The journalist sought asylum at the French embassy after receiving death threats.

collocation: seek asylum at [embassy]

同義詞
  • refuge

    broader and less formal; can mean any safe place, not specifically a legal status.

  • sanctuary

    often religious or symbolic; less commonly used for the formal legal right.

  • safe haven

    describes a protective place or zone, not the legal status itself.

反義詞
  • deportation

    the opposite outcome — being forced back to one's home country.

  • extradition

    being handed over to another country to face charges, the legal opposite of asylum.

文法句型

seek/grant/refuse asylum

asylum in [country]

用法筆記

Almost always uncountable. Frequently passive ('be granted/refused asylum') and pairs with a specific country or embassy. Common derived forms: 'asylum seeker' (a person waiting for a decision) and 'asylum claim/application'.

常見錯誤

❌She made an asylum to Canada.
✅She sought asylum in Canada.
💡asylum is not something you make; the verbs are seek, claim, apply for, grant, refuse.
❌He got an asylum last year.
✅He was granted asylum last year.
💡asylum is uncountable, so no 'an' or plural; it is granted rather than 'gotten'.

2. an old-fashioned name for a large institution that housed and treated people suf

2.名詞C2
釋義

an old-fashioned name for a large institution that housed and treated people suffering from severe mental illness, often confining them for many years; today the word is mostly limited to historical contexts.

例句

In 1890, Aunt Beatrice was sent to a county asylum and never came home.

historical context: be sent to an asylum

The novel is set in a Victorian asylum on the windswept Yorkshire moors.

collocation: Victorian/county asylum

同義詞

文法句型

a/the asylum

in an asylum

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is countable ('an asylum', 'asylums'), while sense 1 is uncountable. Considered dated and sometimes offensive when applied to modern care; 'psychiatric hospital' or 'mental health facility' is the current neutral term.

常見錯誤

❌My grandmother works at the local asylum.
✅My grandmother works at the local psychiatric hospital.
💡for a present-day institution, use 'psychiatric hospital'; 'asylum' sounds outdated and stigmatising.
❌He suffers from asylum.
✅He is being treated at an asylum.
💡asylum is a place, not a condition or illness.