specialized

American  

[spesh-uh-lahyzd] / ˈspɛʃ əˌlaɪzd /

especially British, specialised

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

Etymology

Origin of specialized

specialize ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

As a result, patients going without medications like puberty blockers will not be able to see a doctor and have the specialized medical professional walk them through the process of going off the medication.

From Los Angeles Times

The jets are highly capable, purpose-built aircraft that can refuel in flight, defend against missiles and contain specialized communication gear that allows the president to remain connected as though he were in the White House.

From The Wall Street Journal

Yellowstone Wild, Yellowstone Safari Company and Wilderness Travel all offer one-day or multiday trips in specialized vehicles that get you into the snowbound interior.

From The Wall Street Journal

Some scientists proposed that Paranthropus was limited by a highly specialized diet, while others suggested it may have failed to compete with the more flexible Homo.

From Science Daily

Data centers also remain hungry for specialized AI accelerators and graphics processing units, or GPUs.

From Barron's