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 film utilizes first-person cinematography to tell the absolutely devastating story of two boys incarcerated at an abusive Florida school for troubled teens in the 1960s, and tackles the issue of institutionalized racist violence that is a stain on our country. —Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 27 Feb. 2025

The president and his administration had the backbone to stand up against the institutionalized forces that perpetuate a systemic betrayal of America and her people. —Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 20 Feb. 2025

Nepotism is an institutionalized barrier that impacts employment, promotions, salaries, and opportunities in the job market. —Giana Levy, refinery29.com, 15 July 2024

Overall, well-being often declined after middle age among resource-poor populations lacking social security and other institutionalized forms of protection. —Michael Gurven, The Conversation, 28 Jan. 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