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

The same institutional tension exploded this week in New Jersey. —Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 22 Mar. 2026

Yet the cultural energy that drives fan engagement increasingly emerges from spaces beyond institutional control. —Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 21 Mar. 2026

Yet Stunning Landscape As part of their investigation, the journalists weave through allegations of institutional corruption, secret police operations, drug trafficking, and an overnight visit to the Devil’s Punchbowl. —Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 21 Mar. 2026

Edgecliffe-Johnson’s decades covering global business provide the editorial rigor and institutional context to surface the context and the stakes behind each leadership story. —Rachel Keidan, semafor.com, 20 Mar. 2026

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