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

Everyone thought they would become commoditized, and now they are becoming more specialized.

From Barron's

NordVPN has more servers in more countries, along with a broader range of specialized options for privacy and performance.

From Salon

A specialized protein pumps protons into lysosomes to create this acidity.

From Science Daily

Liquefaction facilities, meanwhile, are highly specialized engineering megaprojects that take years to construct and significantly longer to repair than conventional oil fields.

From The Wall Street Journal

He said that through a nightlife promoter, he was introduced to Pierre Louis, a fixer who specialized in getting rich people what they wanted.

From Los Angeles Times