- past participle of specialize.
- past tense form of specialize.
specialized
Americanadjective
-
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.
-
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
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of specialized
Explanation
Someone or something specialized has a specific purpose or function. A podiatrist is a specialized doctor. With months of specialized training, a person could learn to walk over hot coals. Good thing that there are doctors specialized in fixing feet. The word specialized comes from special. Something special is important, notable, or unique in some way. A specialized hammer is made for one, specific purpose. A specialized teacher has expertise in a particular subject. NASCAR drivers use specialized cars, and assemble-at-home furniture comes with specialized tools. The opposite of a specialized thing is a general thing, which could be used in many circumstances. Something specialized is tailored to one job.
Vocabulary lists containing specialized
Cell Biology - Middle School
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Cell Biology - High School
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Cook’s personality was on full display when Dailey set up a technical demo for a senior government official involving the Vcommunicator, a late-2000s-era iPod Touch with specialized real-time translation software.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026
The molecules are small and water-soluble, and they respond to common visible or white light, including normal indoor illumination and daylight, without the need for unusually intense or specialized light sources.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026
Unlike some optogenetic approaches, they do not require devices that amplify or deliver specialized light.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026
I would love to know if your company is open to the idea of building specialized open-weight models that it owns and controls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
My dad, who’d recently traded in his car for a specialized van to accommodate his disability, still made a point of showing up in his cousins’ doorways as often as possible for in-person visits.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
