institutionalize
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make institutional.
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to make into or treat as an institution.
the danger of institutionalizing racism.
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to place or confine in an institution, especially one for the care of mental illness, alcoholism, etc.
verb
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(tr; often passive) to subject to the deleterious effects of confinement in an institution
a mental patient who was institutionalized into boredom and apathy
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(tr) to place in an institution
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to make or become an institution
Other Word Forms
- institutionalization noun
Etymology
Origin of institutionalize
First recorded in 1860–65; institutional + -ize
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.
“Plans to institutionalize and operationalize the European dimension through exercises and dedicated coordinating bodies will likely be welcomed in Berlin because it gives hope that French nuclear assurances will last beyond Macron’s presidency,” he added.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026
The state’s universities, despite being leaders in the field, have struggled to institutionalize disability scholarship and to hire disabled faculty to teach it.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 10, 2024
"The task is to solidify and institutionalize it," Feldman said.
From Reuters • Oct. 30, 2023
He also said a new NATO-South Korean document will take effect at the summit to institutionalize cooperation in 11 areas, including non-proliferation and cybersecurity.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 9, 2023
These hospitals are no longer mentioned after the dissolution of the London Company, nor were any other comparable measures taken during the century to institutionalize care for the sick.
From Medicine in Virginia, 1607-1699 by Hughes, Thomas Proctor
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.
