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

This design choice allows the company to circumvent “much of the sophisticated set of equipment and specialized materials that are needed to maintain high-pressure operation,” in addition to ensuring safety, analysts wrote.

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If policies exclude damage from floods or earthquakes, for instance, consumers can buy specialized insurance for that, Holeman said.

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Humanoid robots lack strength, dexterity and specialized appendages—like welders or grinding wheels—but startups building them are betting they compensate through versatility.

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A bipartisan bill reintroduced last month would phase out the use of bleed air and require specialized filters on aircraft within seven years.

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Dutch farmers faced similar constraints: Much of their land was lost to the sea, so they specialized in livestock and traded for grain from the Baltics.

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