Showing results for "specialized"

• past tense form of specialize.
• past participle of specialize.

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. )

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.

Example Sentences

It has also moved to shut down its battery-tech developer Cellforce Group, e-bike electric drive systems developer Porsche eBike Performance and Cetitec, a company that produces specialized software for data communications.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026

In recent years, memory makers have given priority to the production of HBM for specialized memory needed for AI.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 22, 2026

Examples could include processing Earth observation data from satellites, military or intelligence data processing, scientific computing related to space missions, or specialized computing for satellites and other space assets.

From Science Daily • Jun. 19, 2026

Its AiBLE surgical platform combines AI-driven predictive software with specialized hardware components that offer an expanding list of applications.

From Barron's • Jun. 17, 2026

Then there's some specialized training, where the sprinters would break off and do their own thing, the mid-distance runners would do the same, and the distance runners, well...they just run all practice.

From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds