institutionalize

verb

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

institutionalized; institutionalizing

transitive verb

1

: to make into an institution : give character of an institution to

especially : to incorporate into a structured and often highly formalized system

… he has tried to institutionalize the bank's practices so that it can carry on when he no longer leads it.

—Bruce Shenitz

In 2005, The New York Times revealed a set of NSA surveillance programs that, though considered shocking at the time, have since been institutionalized.

—David Brown

2

: to place in or commit to the care of a specialized institution (such as a psychiatric hospital)

Thirty years ago doctors routinely advised parents to institutionalize children with Down syndrome and other disabilities …

—Parenting

institutionalization

ˌin(t)-stə-ˌt(y)ü-sh(ə-)nə-lə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

Examples of institutionalize in a Sentence

It will take time to institutionalize these reforms.

They had to institutionalize their youngest son.

She was institutionalized for seven years.

Recent Examples on the Web

In The Ha-Ha, Jennifer Dawson relies on her own history as a patient in a psychiatric hospital to tell the story of Josephine Traughton, a young woman who suffers a breakdown while studying at Oxford in the 1950s and is institutionalized at a hospital in the English countryside. —Literary Hub, 21 Nov. 2025

The report has not escaped criticism, with Jason Isaac, CEO of the American Energy Institute, accusing the UK government of institutionalizing climate hysteria. —Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 17 Nov. 2025

Screendoor may have started as ad-hoc, but it has become increasingly institutionalized since Lisa Cawley, formerly from the family office world, joined in 2023. —Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 11 Nov. 2025

She was diagnosed with schizophrenia and institutionalized when Haddish was 13. —Zak Cheney-Rice, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1861, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

institutionalize

verb

in·​sti·​tu·​tion·​al·​ize ˌin(t)-stə-ˈt(y)ü-shnə-ˌlīz 

-shən-ᵊl-ˌīz

institutionalized; institutionalizing

1

: to make into or treat like an institution

institutionalized housing

2

: to put into an institution

Medical Definition

institutionalize

transitive verb

in·​sti·​tu·​tion·​al·​ize

variants or chiefly British institutionalise

ˌin(t)-stə-ˈt(y)ü-shnəl-ˌīz, -shən-ᵊl- 

institutionalized or chiefly British institutionalised; institutionalizing or chiefly British institutionalising

: to place in or commit to the care of a specialized institution

Thirty years ago doctors routinely advised parents to institutionalize children with Down syndrome and other disabilities …

—Parenting

institutionalization noun

or chiefly British institutionalisation

-ˌt(y)ü-shnəl-ə-ˈzā-shən, -ˌt(y)ü-shən-ᵊl- 

Legal Definition

institutionalize

transitive verb

in·​sti·​tu·​tion·​al·​ize ˌin-stə-ˈtü-shə-nə-ˌlīz, -ˈtyü- 

institutionalized; institutionalizing

: to put in the care of an institution compare commit