institutionalized
adjective
in·sti·tu·tion·al·ized
ˌin(t)-stə-ˈt(y)ü-sh(ə-)nə-ˌlīzd 
1
a
: created and controlled by an established organization
institutionalized housing
institutionalized religion
b
: established as a common and accepted part of a system or culture
institutionalized beliefs and practices
2
: placed in the care of a specialized institution
At first, the researchers … confine their studies to serial killers, mass murderers, institutionalized sociopaths …—
Marilyn Stasio
Marilyn StasioExamples of institutionalized in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But as medicine became more institutionalized, birth shifted from the home to the hospital, and the face of maternity care became increasingly male and clinical.
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 17 Apr. 2025
This is particularly true as bitcoin investment becomes more institutionalized.
—Billy Bambrough, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
That included going to South Africa during the era of apartheid -- the system of institutionalized racial segregation that existed there from the late '40s to the early '90s.
—Ashley Schwartz-Lavares, ABC News, 24 Mar. 2025
The film utilizes first-person cinematography to tell the absolutely devastating story of two boys incarcerated at an abusive Florida school for troubled teens in the 1960s, and tackles the issue of institutionalized racist violence that is a stain on our country.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 27 Feb. 2025
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Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 17 Apr. 2025
This is particularly true as bitcoin investment becomes more institutionalized.
—Billy Bambrough, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
That included going to South Africa during the era of apartheid -- the system of institutionalized racial segregation that existed there from the late '40s to the early '90s.
—Ashley Schwartz-Lavares, ABC News, 24 Mar. 2025
The film utilizes first-person cinematography to tell the absolutely devastating story of two boys incarcerated at an abusive Florida school for troubled teens in the 1960s, and tackles the issue of institutionalized racist violence that is a stain on our country.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for institutionalized
Cite this Entry
“Institutionalized.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/institutionalized. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
institutionalized
adjective
in·sti·tu·tion·al·ized
variants
or chiefly British institutionalised
: accustomed so firmly to the care and routine of an institution as to find independent life in the outside world difficult or unmanageable
Many prisoners who only need a drug or alcohol program become more institutionalized with each mandatory return.—Robert L. Johnson, Undoing Time
Robert L. Johnson, Undoing TimeLove words? Need even more definitions?
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