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

“Their strategy right now is just buying time,” said Alan Eyre, a former senior U.S. diplomat who specialized in Iran and is now at the Middle East Institute, a Washington think tank.

From The Wall Street Journal

The idea that high-tech industries required specialized investment was central to the mission of American Research & Development Corp., founded 1946 and considered the first true venture-capital firm.

From Barron's

To test this idea, the researchers combined self-directed internal speech, described as quiet "mumbling," with a specialized working memory system.

From Science Daily

Many of the midsize manufacturers for which Germany is famed are innovators in highly specialized technologies, but they lack the expertise to broaden their product lines, and private ownership limits their ability to finance expansion.

From The Wall Street Journal

Securities and Exchange Commission, the New York Stock Exchange recommended a reorganization that installed a board of governors, a salaried independent president and a specialized administrative staff.

From The Wall Street Journal