- past tense form of specialize.
- past participle of specialize.
specialized
Americanadjective
-
invested with a special character or restricted to a special function or field of activity.
He campaigned for a specialized burn department to be established at the hospital.
The humanities, once a highly specialized pursuit, have rapidly become a much broader conversation.
-
Biology. (of an organism or organ) adapted to a special function or environment.
If the coastal sage scrub were to vanish, so would these specialized species of insects that are dependent on it.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of specialized
Explanation
Someone or something specialized has a specific purpose or function. A podiatrist is a specialized doctor. With months of specialized training, a person could learn to walk over hot coals. Good thing that there are doctors specialized in fixing feet. The word specialized comes from special. Something special is important, notable, or unique in some way. A specialized hammer is made for one, specific purpose. A specialized teacher has expertise in a particular subject. NASCAR drivers use specialized cars, and assemble-at-home furniture comes with specialized tools. The opposite of a specialized thing is a general thing, which could be used in many circumstances. Something specialized is tailored to one job.
Vocabulary lists containing specialized
Cell Biology - Middle School
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Cell Biology - High School
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 5
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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.
Some specialized luxury European kitchen ranges can retail for around $17,000 for a basic model and go up to $100,000, while high-end coffee makers can cost around $5,000.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
"We used a novel experimental technique that combines specialized instruments in a way that effectively used the entire facility," Liddick said.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026
Until now, Zoox has been offering free rides in Las Vegas and San Francisco with its specialized AV, which resembles a toaster on wheels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
"Instead of soil, we pack these containers with a specialized coco-peat substrate derived entirely from coconut husk. We then integrate a highly precise drip-irrigation and fogging system to control micro-climates."
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
These differences stemmed ultimately from Eurasia’s much longer history of densely populated, economically specialized, politically centralized, interacting and competing societies dependent on food production.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
