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
Marilyn StasioExamples of institutionalized in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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
The Chamber found that gender persecution encompasses not only direct acts of violence, but also systemic and institutionalized forms of harm, including the imposition of discriminatory societal norms.
—Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025
That’s not voluntary cooperation— that’s institutionalized collusion.
—Mimi Robson, Oc Register, 2 July 2025
Otto Vogt's warning about the collapse of institutionalized moral universalism may sound dramatic, but the stakes are real.
—Charles Towers-Clark, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for institutionalized
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Olivia Kemp, CNN Money, 11 July 2025
The Chamber found that gender persecution encompasses not only direct acts of violence, but also systemic and institutionalized forms of harm, including the imposition of discriminatory societal norms.
—Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025
That’s not voluntary cooperation— that’s institutionalized collusion.
—Mimi Robson, Oc Register, 2 July 2025
Otto Vogt's warning about the collapse of institutionalized moral universalism may sound dramatic, but the stakes are real.
—Charles Towers-Clark, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for institutionalized
Cite this Entry
“Institutionalized.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/institutionalized. Accessed 2 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
institutionalized
adjective
in·sti·tu·tion·al·ized
variants
or chiefly British institutionalised
: 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
Robert L. Johnson, Undoing TimeLove words? Need even more definitions?
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