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

The sweeping scope of Trump’s appetite for institutionalized retaliation has changed the threat landscape for everyone, almost overnight. —Julia Angwin, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2025

Erratic exchange rates, years of institutionalized corruption under the Assad regime, and war led to the destruction or closure of thousands of businesses. —Dominique Soguel, Christian Science Monitor, 11 Apr. 2025

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

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