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

As high school approached, Obrokta considered a specialized boarding school.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 28, 2026

"The ballista spider's snare is bioengineered to store elastic energy in the silk and rapidly release it, giving it incredible instantaneous power density -- greater than any other specialized silk-based biological catapults," said Professor Narendra.

From Science Daily • Jun. 26, 2026

He specialized in identifying and investigating sophisticated white collar crimes ranging from art forgery and insider trading to transnational fraud organizations and crimes involving crypto currency.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026

Rudolph explained that the exhibit’s hardware, including its bolts and nuts, are unique and extremely specialized.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2026

Long Beach Savings, it appeared to Eisman and his partners, specialized in asking homeowners with bad credit and no proof of income to accept floating-rate mortgages.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis