diff --git a/gdb/common/gdb-safe-ctype.h b/gdb/common/gdb-safe-ctype.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..01a97b7ce39
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gdb/common/gdb-safe-ctype.h
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+/* Wrapper around libiberty's safe-ctype.h for GDB, the GNU debugger.
+
+   Copyright (C) 2019 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+
+   This file is part of GDB.
+
+   This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+   it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+   the Free Software Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or
+   (at your option) any later version.
+
+   This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+   but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+   MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+   GNU General Public License for more details.
+
+   You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+   along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.  */
+
+#ifndef GDB_SAFE_CTYPE_H
+#define GDB_SAFE_CTYPE_H
+
+/* After safe-ctype.h is included, we can no longer use the host's
+   ctype routines.  Trying to do so results in compile errors.  Code
+   that uses safe-ctype.h that wants to refer to the locale-dependent
+   ctype functions must call these wrapper versions instead.  */
+
+static inline int
+gdb_isprint (int ch)
+{
+  return isprint (ch);
+}
+
+/* readline.h defines these symbols too, but we want libiberty's
+   versions.  */
+#undef ISALPHA
+#undef ISALNUM
+#undef ISDIGIT
+#undef ISLOWER
+#undef ISPRINT
+#undef ISUPPER
+#undef ISXDIGIT
+
+#include "safe-ctype.h"
+
+#endif
diff --git a/gdb/utils.c b/gdb/utils.c
index c7922cf7f56..367ea277c7d 100644
--- a/gdb/utils.c
+++ b/gdb/utils.c
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@
 #include "common/pathstuff.h"
 #include "cli/cli-style.h"
 #include "common/scope-exit.h"
+#include "common/gdb-safe-ctype.h"
 
 void (*deprecated_error_begin_hook) (void);
 
@@ -1057,7 +1058,7 @@ parse_escape (struct gdbarch *gdbarch, const char **string_ptr)
 	  while (++count < 3)
 	    {
 	      c = (**string_ptr);
-	      if (isdigit (c) && c != '8' && c != '9')
+	      if (ISDIGIT (c) && c != '8' && c != '9')
 		{
 		  (*string_ptr)++;
 		  i *= 8;
@@ -1985,7 +1986,7 @@ puts_debug (char *prefix, char *string, char *suffix)
       switch (ch)
 	{
 	default:
-	  if (isprint (ch))
+	  if (gdb_isprint (ch))
 	    fputc_unfiltered (ch, gdb_stdlog);
 
 	  else
@@ -2268,7 +2269,7 @@ fprintf_symbol_filtered (struct ui_file *stream, const char *name,
 static bool
 valid_identifier_name_char (int ch)
 {
-  return (isalnum (ch) || ch == '_');
+  return (ISALNUM (ch) || ch == '_');
 }
 
 /* Skip to end of token, or to END, whatever comes first.  Input is
@@ -2278,7 +2279,7 @@ static const char *
 cp_skip_operator_token (const char *token, const char *end)
 {
   const char *p = token;
-  while (p != end && !isspace (*p) && *p != '(')
+  while (p != end && !ISSPACE (*p) && *p != '(')
     {
       if (valid_identifier_name_char (*p))
 	{
@@ -2332,9 +2333,9 @@ cp_skip_operator_token (const char *token, const char *end)
 static void
 skip_ws (const char *&string1, const char *&string2, const char *end_str2)
 {
-  while (isspace (*string1))
+  while (ISSPACE (*string1))
     string1++;
-  while (string2 < end_str2 && isspace (*string2))
+  while (string2 < end_str2 && ISSPACE (*string2))
     string2++;
 }
 
@@ -2396,8 +2397,8 @@ strncmp_iw_with_mode (const char *string1, const char *string2,
   while (1)
     {
       if (skip_spaces
-	  || ((isspace (*string1) && !valid_identifier_name_char (*string2))
-	      || (isspace (*string2) && !valid_identifier_name_char (*string1))))
+	  || ((ISSPACE (*string1) && !valid_identifier_name_char (*string2))
+	      || (ISSPACE (*string2) && !valid_identifier_name_char (*string1))))
 	{
 	  skip_ws (string1, string2, end_str2);
 	  skip_spaces = false;
@@ -2430,7 +2431,7 @@ strncmp_iw_with_mode (const char *string1, const char *string2,
 	  if (match_for_lcd != NULL && abi_start != string1)
 	    match_for_lcd->mark_ignored_range (abi_start, string1);
 
-	  while (isspace (*string1))
+	  while (ISSPACE (*string1))
 	    string1++;
 	}
 
@@ -2455,9 +2456,9 @@ strncmp_iw_with_mode (const char *string1, const char *string2,
 	  string1++;
 	  string2++;
 
-	  while (isspace (*string1))
+	  while (ISSPACE (*string1))
 	    string1++;
-	  while (string2 < end_str2 && isspace (*string2))
+	  while (string2 < end_str2 && ISSPACE (*string2))
 	    string2++;
 	  continue;
 	}
@@ -2551,14 +2552,14 @@ strncmp_iw_with_mode (const char *string1, const char *string2,
       if (case_sensitivity == case_sensitive_on && *string1 != *string2)
 	break;
       if (case_sensitivity == case_sensitive_off
-	  && (tolower ((unsigned char) *string1)
-	      != tolower ((unsigned char) *string2)))
+	  && (TOLOWER ((unsigned char) *string1)
+	      != TOLOWER ((unsigned char) *string2)))
 	break;
 
       /* If we see any non-whitespace, non-identifier-name character
 	 (any of "()<>*&" etc.), then skip spaces the next time
 	 around.  */
-      if (!isspace (*string1) && !valid_identifier_name_char (*string1))
+      if (!ISSPACE (*string1) && !valid_identifier_name_char (*string1))
 	skip_spaces = true;
 
       string1++;
@@ -2679,16 +2680,16 @@ strcmp_iw_ordered (const char *string1, const char *string2)
 
       while (*string1 != '\0' && *string2 != '\0')
 	{
-	  while (isspace (*string1))
+	  while (ISSPACE (*string1))
 	    string1++;
-	  while (isspace (*string2))
+	  while (ISSPACE (*string2))
 	    string2++;
 
 	  switch (case_pass)
 	  {
 	    case case_sensitive_off:
-	      c1 = tolower ((unsigned char) *string1);
-	      c2 = tolower ((unsigned char) *string2);
+	      c1 = TOLOWER ((unsigned char) *string1);
+	      c2 = TOLOWER ((unsigned char) *string2);
 	      break;
 	    case case_sensitive_on:
 	      c1 = *string1;
@@ -2927,17 +2928,17 @@ string_to_core_addr (const char *my_string)
 {
   CORE_ADDR addr = 0;
 
-  if (my_string[0] == '0' && tolower (my_string[1]) == 'x')
+  if (my_string[0] == '0' && TOLOWER (my_string[1]) == 'x')
     {
       /* Assume that it is in hex.  */
       int i;
 
       for (i = 2; my_string[i] != '\0'; i++)
 	{
-	  if (isdigit (my_string[i]))
+	  if (ISDIGIT (my_string[i]))
 	    addr = (my_string[i] - '0') + (addr * 16);
-	  else if (isxdigit (my_string[i]))
-	    addr = (tolower (my_string[i]) - 'a' + 0xa) + (addr * 16);
+	  else if (ISXDIGIT (my_string[i]))
+	    addr = (TOLOWER (my_string[i]) - 'a' + 0xa) + (addr * 16);
 	  else
 	    error (_("invalid hex \"%s\""), my_string);
 	}
@@ -2949,7 +2950,7 @@ string_to_core_addr (const char *my_string)
 
       for (i = 0; my_string[i] != '\0'; i++)
 	{
-	  if (isdigit (my_string[i]))
+	  if (ISDIGIT (my_string[i]))
 	    addr = (my_string[i] - '0') + (addr * 10);
 	  else
 	    error (_("invalid decimal \"%s\""), my_string);
