institutional

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

adjective

1. of or relating to organized establishments, foundations, societies, or the like, or to the buildings they occupy.

   The association offers an institutional membership discount to members of affiliated groups.

2. of the nature of an established organization or institution.

   institutional bureaucracy.

3. relating to or noting a policy, practice, or belief system that has been established as normative or customary throughout an institution or society, particularly as perpetuated in institutions of a public character, as schools, courts, or legislative bodies: institutional sexism in academia;

   institutional racism in the criminal justice system;

   institutional sexism in academia;

   institutional prejudice against members of the gay community.

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

   institutional food.

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

6. relating to established principles or institutes, especially of jurisprudence.

institutional

/ ˌɪnstɪˈtjuːʃənəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of institutions

2. dull, routine, and uniform

   institutional meals

3. relating to principles or institutes, esp of law

Other Word Forms

• institutionally adverb
• anti-institutional adjective
• anti-institutionally adverb
• interinstitutional adjective
• interinstitutionally adverb
• noninstitutional adjective
• noninstitutionally adverb
• uninstitutional adjective
• uninstitutionally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of institutional¹

First recorded in 1610–20; institution + -al ¹

Example Sentences

What comes next for the Presbyterian Church in Ireland is likely to define its institutional future.

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The institutional funds trade larger amounts with outside capital and can’t execute the same strategies.

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The company sees a total addressable market of $400 billion, retail and institutional, and believes that it will be a key beneficiary of the baby-boomer wealth transfer.

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Gold-market momentum indicators are strongly positive, with moving averages lining up in a strong upward configuration, emphasizing consistent institutional interest.

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Davie resigned from the corporation on Sunday, along with CEO of News Deborah Turness, after a memo raising concern about editorial decisions and perceived institutional bias was leaked to the Daily Telegraph.

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