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

Examples of institutionalized in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As coworking becomes more institutionalized, one challenge industry leaders face is preserving the agility and local relevance that made the model successful in the first place. —Jason Anderson, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025

Alongside them, Iran’s own ethnic minorities, especially the Baluch, suffer institutionalized violence and neglect—abuses that did not begin with the Islamic Republic but were rooted in the era of the Shah. —Jila Andalib, Hartford Courant, 28 July 2025

John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats really captured his mystique for latter-day fans in his novella Master of Reality, written in the voice of an institutionalized teenage Sabbath fanatic. —Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 23 July 2025

Annemarie Ward, who has been in recovery for 27 years, believes that without a clear route to abstinence, harm reduction risks becoming a form of institutionalized maintenance. —Olivia Kemp, CNN Money, 11 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1869, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Medical Definition

institutionalized

adjective

in·​sti·​tu·​tion·​al·​ized

variants or chiefly British institutionalised

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

: 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