specialized

especially British, spe·cial·ised

[spesh-uh-lahyzd]

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.

verb

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

Other Word Forms

• nonspecialized adjective
• overspecialized adjective
• unspecialized adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of specialized¹

specialize ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

DTLA, which specialized in these cases, filed many of its older lawsuits without the certificate, considered by the Legislature as a critical way to prevent fraudulent claims.

From Los Angeles Times

They were taken to the organization’s Ramona Wildlife Center on March 26 for specialized rehabilitation and veterinary care.

From Los Angeles Times

The late director, who specialized in romances that frequently had political themes, would become a frequent Redford collaborator and the first to direct his friend, in 1966’s “This Property is Condemned.”

From Los Angeles Times

Bui, 27, who grew up in South L.A., said that obtaining the certificate led to her job at a private dental practice in Lakewood, where she specialized in orthodontics, adjusting braces and handling other tasks.

From Los Angeles Times

The Colombian actor also shared videos of herself lying on a hospital bed and leaning over a sink with a specialized faucet to flush out her irritated eye.

From Los Angeles Times