specialized

especially British, spe·cial·ised

[spesh-uh-lahyzd]

adjective

1. invested with a special character or restricted to a special function or field of activity.

   He campaigned for a specialized burn department to be established at the hospital.

   The humanities, once a highly specialized pursuit, have rapidly become a much broader conversation.

2. Biology.,  (of an organism or organ) adapted to a special function or environment.

   If the coastal sage scrub were to vanish, so would these specialized species of insects that are dependent on it.

verb

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

Other Word Forms

• nonspecialized adjective
• overspecialized adjective
• unspecialized adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of specialized¹

specialize ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

They also noted growing "segregation" during this time, meaning that different brain regions begin to operate in more distinct and specialized ways.

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Beyond the major AI powers of the U.S. and China, the spending on tech infrastructure mainly benefits a few regions already inside the specialized AI supply chain.

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A report that Meta is in discussions to buy billions of dollars’ worth of Alphabet’s highly specialized AI microchips has led to speculation that the Google parent could encroach on Nvidia’s dominant market share.

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They do so by tracking specialized indexes maintained by S&P Dow Jones Indices.

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The author observes that “workers under the OT generally suffered the worst possible conditions because the agency specialized in construction,” which meant laboring outside in extreme weather, even while sick, underfed and exhausted.

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