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safe space

safe space

14 4.5
A place where people can speak openly without being judged or hurt
  • noun
  • /seɪf speɪs/
translation icon : espacio seguro
  • It's important to have a safe space where we can discuss our feelings and support each other.
  • Creating a safe space
  • provide a safe space
  • safe space for our students

He said, you're in a very, very, very safe space here, right?

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Examples

  • We will listen deeply to one another, creating safe spaces in which to hear and to be heard.

  • In a harsh environment, they are providing some kind of safe space for action and interaction between the activist and the audience.

    Academic text (2017)
  • I want to create a safe space for the past and the future.

  • And they found a safe space in our work to be able to do that.

  • So for me, it, it helped my brand create a safe space for people.

  • The overall mission of the building center is to provide a safe space for students on campus.

    Blog text (24)
  • I hope you still find this a safe space to express yourself.

    Blog text (27)
  • Ensure that students experience their classroom as a safe space.

    Academic text (2013)
  • The safe space we created was, for many, the first time to acknowledge those feelings even to themselves.

    Academic text (2015)
  • I'm here to be a safe space for your pain and your struggle.

Synonyms

sanctuary
vssafe space
70 4.1

A safe place where people go to escape danger

prioritizes protection from discrimination, criticism, and emotional harm over physical shelter
safe harbor
vssafe space
  • US
2 3.9

A place or situation that protects people from danger

focuses on shielding people from discrimination, criticism, and emotional harm

How Safe

sanctuary
70 4.1
safe space
14 4.5
hostile
69 5.2

Surface Forms

safe space singular
safe spaces plural

Morphology

safe + space

The phrase is compositionally transparent at the basic level: a B1 learner who knows 'safe' and 'space' can infer it denotes a place that is safe or protected. However, the specific sociocultural nuance (an environment free from discrimination, criticism, or emotional harm) is a pragmatic extension that may not be fully predictable without exposure, so it is not completely transparent.

Etymology

Safe space comes from the simple idea of a safe room or space where people are protected. Groups, schools, and therapists began calling places where people can speak and be themselves without fear a safe space, so today it means 'a place where you are not treated badly, criticised, or hurt'.