institutional

adjective

in·​sti·​tu·​tion·​al ˌin(t)-stə-ˈt(y)ü-sh(ə-)nəl 

1

: of or relating to an institution

institutional knowledge

2

: characteristic of or appropriate to institutions

bland institutional cooking

institutional green walls

institutionally adverb

Examples of institutional in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Other scary asylum stories highlighted a fear of institutional cruelty — of authority figures with total power over vulnerable patients. —Jen Rose Smith, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025

The company's shares surged as much as 50% on open, after its initial public offering saw the strongest demand for an Indian IPO since 2008, led by institutional investors. —Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2025

Blair aims to inspire women to push harder for answers on medical issues given the traditional institutional biases. —Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025

In a moment of rare institutional self-reflection, Powell conceded that the Fed kept its balance sheet expansion going too long during the pandemic. —Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1617, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing institutional

• anti-institutional
• institutional racism
• inter-institutional
• multi-institutional

Rhymes for institutional

• attributional
• constitutional
• convolutional
• distributional
• involutional
• substitutional
• interinstitutional
• noninstitutional
• unconstitutional