institutionalize
Americanverb (used with object)
-
institutionalizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
institutionalized,
past participle, past
-
institutionalizing
present participle
-
to make institutional.
-
to make into or treat as an institution.
the danger of institutionalizing racism.
-
to place or confine in an institution, especially one for the care of mental illness, alcoholism, etc.
verb
-
(tr; often passive) to subject to the deleterious effects of confinement in an institution
a mental patient who was institutionalized into boredom and apathy
-
(tr) to place in an institution
-
to make or become an institution
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
institutionalizesimple
-
institutionalizessimple
-
have institutionalizedperfect
-
has institutionalizedperfect
-
am institutionalizingprogressive
-
are institutionalizingprogressive
-
is institutionalizingprogressive
-
have been institutionalizingperfect progressive
-
has been institutionalizingperfect progressive
Past
-
institutionalizedsimple
-
had institutionalizedperfect
-
was institutionalizingprogressive
-
were institutionalizingprogressive
-
had been institutionalizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of institutionalize
First recorded in 1860–65; institutional + -ize
Explanation
To institutionalize someone is to send them to a place where they can be taken care of. Institutionalize also means that something is part of the system. If men are paid more than women, then gender bias has been institutionalized. The verb institutionalize is usually used to talk about committing people to hospitals, nursing homes, or other facilities where they will live and be taken care of in some way. There's another meaning of the word that means "to establish as a regular way of doing things." In this case, a teacher might institutionalize the tradition of ordering pizza for the class once a month; in other words, pizza parties would become a permanent, official part of the school year.
Vocabulary lists containing institutionalize
The Battle of the Labyrinth
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Words with 15 or More Letters, List 3
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Ronald Reagan's Address at Moscow State University (1988)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
However, the tolling system would institutionalize rather than solve the friction.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 7, 2026
“Too many approaches to peace-building foster perpetual dependency, and institutionalize crisis rather than leading people beyond it,” the charter’s preamble says, calling for “a coalition of willing States committed to practical cooperation and effective action.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 19, 2026
"The task is to solidify and institutionalize it," Feldman said.
From Reuters ● Oct. 30, 2023
“This is to lock in the gains of the past year and institutionalize a strong mutual defense with a clear connection and commitment,” said Daly, a former U.S. diplomat in Beijing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2023
Over the next four years the Coalition implemented a number of key reforms to modernize the economy and institutionalize democratic reforms.
From The 2001 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency
In a nutshell, the federal complaint is that our state institutionalizes too many children, sometimes out of state and far from their families.
From Washington Times ● May 22, 2019
He is famous for his scathing critiques against the art world, particularly against art education, which he believes institutionalizes mediocrity through its systematic rejection of good ideas.
From Slate ● Dec. 6, 2013
It’s played for laughs, but the way the medical establishment institutionalizes her so quickly carries a harsh edge.
From New York Times ● Aug. 19, 2010
Indexing, which automatically raises wages and pensions along with the price index, is not a cure but a disease that institutionalizes inflation, added Okun.
From Time Magazine Archive
Man's genius for organization institutionalizes every aspect of thought and activity he takes under his control.
From The Family and it's Members by Anna Garlin Spencer
District Judge Richard G. Stearns ruled there wasn’t sufficient evidence of ongoing institutionalized racial discrimination at Harvard.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
“Resurrectionists” – body snatchers – exhumed the recently buried, disproportionately targeting the poor, the institutionalized and those without family protection or the financial means to guard graves.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 21, 2026
“It might actually be worse because there’s nothing institutionalized about any of this.”
From Salon ● May 19, 2026
Without such unpaid family support, older adults would go without care or end up in institutionalized care, which would further burden the healthcare system and public programs like Medicaid.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 26, 2026
Whatever institutionalized strength was locked in this plural was about to fly apart, or had already done so, but for now it could not be acknowledged, and bravery was demanded of even the youngest.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
“The only question to my mind is what sort of deal Iran can work out in terms of monetizing and institutionalizing its control of the strait.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026
Analysts suggest China’s move is noteworthy, institutionalizing its export control system.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2025
“They’re still out there institutionalizing children with little to no oversight or regulation.”
From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2024
The Supreme Court ruled decades ago that unnecessarily institutionalizing people who can be served in their communities violates the Americans With Disabilities Act.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2023
The bantustan system had been conceived by Dr. H. F. Verwoerd, the minister of native affairs, as a way of muting international criticism of South African racial policies but at the same time institutionalizing apartheid.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
