established
Americanadjective
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founded, built, or brought into existence.
The organization is getting ready to announce the first recipient of a newly established award recognizing outstanding service to the community.
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settled or installed relatively permanently in a position, place, business, etc..
The resort is a long established vacation destination with a strong reputation for delivering high-quality personal service to their guests.
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proven valid or true.
Knowledge about the venom of the spider that bit her is sparse, and there is no established treatment for it.
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accepted or recognized.
More recent research, however, contradicts the established narrative.
Experimental psychology is an established field with a long history of research involving humans.
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firm or settled in habit or condition.
Her established dislike of poetry meant she rarely received it for review.
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brought about, appointed, enacted, or ordained.
Requirements include being covered by federally established health insurance, such as Medicare or Medicaid.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of established
First recorded in 1350–1400; establish ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses; establish ( def. ) + -ed 1 ( def. ) for the verb sense
Explanation
Something or someone well established is well known, totally trusted and usually has a proven track record of success. Becoming established doesn't happen overnight. You've got to put in the time and effort to prove yourself, make connections and build a good reputation. So it makes sense that this adjective is related to the verb establish, which means to "create, set up, or prove." Established is a handy word to know, especially when you're looking for a dentist — you probably won't want to try Dr. Lovedrill until his practice is more established.
Vocabulary lists containing established
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
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"Marketing to kids gets more savvy with new technologies"
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"The Declaration of Independence" by Thomas Jefferson
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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.
Most were produced by genes connected to arginine's established molecular functions.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 3, 2026
Throughout a career coaching club teams across Europe, he had established himself as one of soccer’s elite tacticians, and the Americans were willing to break the bank to bring that know-how aboard.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Agencies cannot put a thumb on the scale by taking account of a rule’s costs but not its benefits, particularly when there are established techniques for valuing the benefits.
From Slate ● Aug. 2, 2026
"The future of global football must always be shaped through proper consultation, collective dialogue and respect for the established governance structures of our game," he added.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
If you can overlook and tolerate some obvious distress and complete the lesson, the child will have experienced the entire routine and established it mentally.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
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.
