centralized

American  

[sen-truh-lahyzd] / ˈsɛn trəˌlaɪzd /

especially British, centralised

adjective

1. controlled from one place.

   The individual police departments will transition to the centralized dispatch system beginning in October.

   After years of opting for top-down regulatory approaches, the new administration has decided to move toward a less centralized form of government oversight.

2. existing in one place, or being the center point of a network: The system allows users to record subscriber complaints in a single database, creating a centralized source of information to assist us in pinpointing systematic delivery problems.

   Each computer has a twisted-pair cable that runs to a centralized hub.

   The system allows users to record subscriber complaints in a single database, creating a centralized source of information to assist us in pinpointing systematic delivery problems.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of centralize.

Other Word Forms

• uncentralized adjective

Etymology

Origin of centralized

centralize ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

Anything that's centralized is under the control of one unified authority or located in a single place, like a centralized government. If a business is centralized, it operates from a central location, rather than spreading things out between stores, offices, or factories. Managers of satellite offices have less power if they work for a centralized company, where decisions are made in a home office. A centralized government works the same way, with power concentrated in the executive branch. Centralized derives from a Latin word meaning "center" and the Greek root kentron, "sharp point."

Example Sentences

The experiments supported a key idea: highly complex coordination does not require advanced intelligence or centralized control.

From Science Daily • Apr. 15, 2026

Live offers a more centralized, campus-style setting, with venues and event spaces clustered together.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

The question is whether the consumer AI transformation requires a half-trillion dollars in centralized infrastructure—or 2.5 billion devices that are already built and paid for.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026

Here is a possible benign outcome: In five years, Europe emerges better prepared to defend itself, with deeper capital markets thanks to more centralized fiscal policy and eurobond issuance.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 10, 2026

Meanwhile the much stronger and more centralized Zapotec empire collapsed completely in about 800 a.d.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• constitutional
• domestic
• in-house
• intramural
• national
• private
• subjective