Safe / secure

Question

Hi,What's the difference in meaning between safe and secure in the sentence?"The little boy always feels safe/secure when he is around his parents."Thanks!

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

"The little boy always feels secure when he is around his parents." This would be a general sort of statement that is generally true: kids feel secure with their parents. (However, why the need for this kind of statement? Is this an insecure child? The use of the word "little" reinforces this: this is a diminutive that borders on being disparaging.)

"The little boy always feels safe when he is around his parents.", means more or less the same thing. However, there seems to be a hint of something seriously amiss here. Is there reason for him to fear for his safety when he is not with his parents?

Anonymous · Answer

Thanks Anonymous for your reply. However, I'm afraid I still don't know the difference.
What's the difference in this example?
"My dog is very big and brave. I always feel safe/secure when I'm around him."

Thanks!

Mister Micawber · Answer

'Safe' has more to do with protection from physical danger; 'secure' suggests protection from psychological danger.

Quaerereverum · Answer

Bravo Mr. Micawber.<img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/63.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/63.gif' alt='Emotion: rose'/>

Avangi · Answer

The dog and the parents examples are basically the same.

There are many examples in which safety and security are interchangeable, especially when related to personal well being.

They both free us from concerns about the bad things which might happen to us.

We hear a lot about financial security and Social Security (in the US). These tend to be long-term "protections."

"Public safety," on the other hand, refers to police protection, which deals with the moment-to-moment dangers which threaten us.

Our parents are "on the alert" to protect us from danger, keeping us safe from the unexpected.
Our parents have established long term relationships and "institutions" which maintain our security.

In the case of a very young child, only the actual presence of the parents makes him feel safe.
"Security" is something he learns over time, understanding that his parents are taking care of him even when they're not around.

Edit. Sorry, a bit rambling. The dog example does not favor "security" as much as "safety."
A very strong wall surrounding our property makes us think of "security." We can forget about it to a large extent.
The dog, on the other hand, is alert and prepared to go into action when the need arises -- and we know it.
Both safety and security involve trust.

Anonymous · Answer

AvangiThe dog example does not favor "security" as much as "safety."

Do you mean safe is used more often than secure here in the dog example?

AvangiThe dog, on the other hand, is alert and prepared to go into action when the need arises -- and we know it.

Does 'secure' mean what you said in the quote in the example "My dog is very big and brave. I always feel secure when I'm around him"?

Thank you all for your help.

Avangi · Answer

I'm afraid my post was not very convincing, Anon.

I wasn't happy with it when I wrote it, and I'm less happy about it now.

I think a native speaker might use both adjectives in both your examples.

Would he mean something different if he used "safe" than if he used "secure" in either one of them? Not necessarily.
But he might. After all, they're his feelings.

My personal sense is that "security" is more of an intellectual, or thoughtful condition than is "safety." We reason it out.
So a baby would be less likely to feel "secure" than would an adult.

I also feel that "security" tends to be a long-term concept, while "safety" tends to be a short-term concept -- on average!

(I'll answer "yes" to both of your last two questions.)

- Rgdz, - A.

Anonymous · Answer

Hi Avangi,
Thank you very much for your reply.
Is there any difference between around and with in the example
'My dog is very big and brave. I always feel safe when I'm around/with him'?

Avangi · Answer

For practical purposes, there's no difference between "when I'm around my dog" and "when I'm with my dog."

Safe / secure

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions