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institutional

American  
[in-sti-too-shuh-nl, -tyoo-] / ˌɪn stɪˈtu ʃə nl, -ˈtyu- /

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 British  
/ 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

"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

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of institutional

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

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.

We are living through an experiment in fiscal capacity, institutional resilience, and technological concentration.

From Barron's

Given the sums they can invest, big family offices can sometimes compete against large institutional investors on deals, putting them up against behemoths such as Apollo Global Management and Blackstone.

From The Wall Street Journal

A list of all the researchers involved in this study and their institutional affiliations can be found here.

From Science Daily

Supporters said clearer jurisdictional lines between regulators would reduce legal uncertainty, encourage greater institutional participation and attract more capital into the market.

From MarketWatch

In 2010, the textbook “Politics in the American States” ranked the institutional powers of North Carolina’s governor the third-weakest in the nation.

From Salon