specialized

American  

[spesh-uh-lahyzd] / ˈspɛʃ əˌlaɪzd /

especially British, specialised

adjective

1. 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.

2. 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.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of specialize.

Other Word Forms

• nonspecialized adjective
• overspecialized adjective
• unspecialized adjective

Etymology

Origin of specialized

specialize ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

However, the technology for now is being put to work at very specialized tasks -- in gadgets that translate languages during conversations, say, or monitor health symptoms, or provide information on people's surroundings through smart glasses.

From Barron's

These treatments are “ex vivo,” meaning they remove the patient’s cells and treat them in specialized facilities.

From The Wall Street Journal

Even bitcoin miners—the companies that own warehouses of specialized computers that unlock new bitcoins—are changing their business models to cater to AI.

From The Wall Street Journal

Instead of remaining fully specialized, these cells shift into a more primitive, stem-cell-like state.

From Science Daily

And the vertebrae do not show obvious signs of a highly specialized lifestyle, such as burrowing.

From Science Daily