institutional

[ in-sti-too-shuh-nl, -tyoo- ]

/ ˌɪn stɪˈtu ʃə nl, -ˈtyu- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR institutional ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of, relating to, or established by institution.

of or relating to organized establishments, foundations, societies, or the like, or to the buildings devoted to their work.

of the nature of an institution.

characterized by the blandness, drabness, uniformity, and lack of individualized attention attributed to large institutions that serve many people: institutional food.

(of advertising) having as the primary object the establishment of goodwill and a favorable reputation rather than the immediate sale of the product.

pertaining to institutes or principles, especially of jurisprudence.

Nearby words

instinctive, institute, instituter, institutes, institution, institutional, institutional investor, institutionalism, institutionalize, institutionary, institutive

Origin of institutional

First recorded in 1610–20; institution + -al¹

Related forms

in·sti·tu·tion·al·ly, adverban·ti-in·sti·tu·tion·al, adjectivean·ti-in·sti·tu·tion·al·ly, adverbin·ter·in·sti·tu·tion·al, adjective

in·ter·in·sti·tu·tion·al·ly, adverbnon·in·sti·tu·tion·al, adjectivenon·in·sti·tu·tion·al·ly, adverbun·in·sti·tu·tion·al, adjectiveun·in·sti·tu·tion·al·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for institutional

For them, the trauma of assault can be compounded by a lack of institutional support, and even disciplinary action.
Jameis Winston Cleared of Rape Like Every Other College Sports Star|Robert Silverman|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You might think that the reason Medicaid does not require coverage of HCBS is because institutional care is cheaper.
Medicaid Will Give You Money for At-Home Care, but You Might Wait Years|Elizabeth Picciuto|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Poverty, alienation, estrangement, continuously aggravated by racism, overt and institutional.
‘Why Have I Lost Control?’: Cory Booker in ’92 on Rodney King Echoes Ferguson|Cory Booker|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The upshot is to immerse oneself in a crash course on institutional racism and police brutality.
The War on Drugs Is What Makes Thugs|John McWhorter|August 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The company has returned over $1 billion to institutional, non-profit and individual investors.
Candidates in Maine, Nebraska, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C., Challenge Republicans and Democrats Alike|Linda Killian|July 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For the great number of the deaf—over five-sixths of the total—the institutional schools remain the one means of instruction.
The Deaf|Harry Best
It was Miss North's desire to make this place as much a home living-room as possible; to get far away from institutional life.
Blue Bonnet in Boston|Caroline E. Jacobs
The danger in every period of history is lest we take our own age as the term in institutional evolution.
Political Thought in England from Locke to Bentham|Harold J. Laski
In this work there is undoubtedly a place for institutional charity, and also for that other which is individual.
Appletons' Popular Science Monthly, October 1899|Various
All similar records of the proceedings of Washington associations become a part of the institutional history of the state.
The Washington Historical Quarterly, Volume V, 1914|Various

British Dictionary definitions for institutional

institutional

/ (ˌɪnstɪˈtjuːʃənəl) /

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of institutions

dull, routine, and uniforminstitutional meals

relating to principles or institutes, esp of law

Derived Forms

institutionally, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012