specialized
Americanadjective
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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.
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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
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of specialized
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.
Vocabulary lists containing specialized
Cell Biology - Middle School
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Cell Biology - High School
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Drew was a pious churchman who specialized in insider trading, which wasn’t only legal, but made him “reliable” in the eyes of the first credit agency in America.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
Derek Miser, chief managing member at Miser Wealth Partners, is normally a stockpicker, but uses specialized ETFs like the VanEck one.
From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026
The soldiers training in Pasadena, the officer said, were highly specialized operators who do training in Southern California and arrived at Los Alamitos.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026
"Mangrove plants are highly specialized, and they require a certain duration of flooding with each tide," said Luisa Fernanda Gómez Vargas, also from the University of Exeter.
From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2026
“Yes, Roz, we knew this was a toxic mining site. That’s why we’ll be sending out a specialized robot to clean everything up when we finish the job.”
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
