Meanings
present singular third person institutionalizes · participle present institutionalizing · participle past institutionalized · past institutionalized · alternative institutionalise
- To establish as a normal practice.
Gary Orlando, legislative aid to McDonald, told GCN that the congressman sponsored the bill because "he does not want to institutionalize homosexual acts. We can't use funds to promote, legitimize, or accept this kind of behavior.
1980 August 16, Bennett Klein, “House Passes Anti-Gay Clause”, in Gay Community News, volume 8, number 5, page 6 - To commit a person to confinement in an institution.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbcause to be admitted; of persons to an institution
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Englishinstitution
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
- Englishinstitutional
- Englishinstitutionalize
From institutional + -ize.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan institucionalitzar
- institucionalitzarto establish as a normal practice
Chinese Mandarin 體制化 /体制化, 制度化
- 體制化 /体制化 (tǐzhìhuà)to establish as a normal practice
- 制度化 (zhìdùhuà)to establish as a normal practice
Danish institutionalisere, institutionalisere
- institutionalisereto establish as a normal practice
- institutionalisereto commit a person to confinement in an institution
Finnish institutionaalistaa, vakiinnuttaa
- institutionaalistaato establish as a normal practice
- vakiinnuttaato establish as a normal practice
- sijoittaa laitoshoitoonto commit a person to confinement in an institution
French institutionnaliser
- institutionnaliserto establish as a normal practice
German institutionalisieren
- institutionalisierento establish as a normal practice
Italian istituzionalizzare
- istituzionalizzareto establish as a normal practice
Lithuanian institucionalizuoti
- institucionalizuotito establish as a normal practice
Polish instytucjonalizować, zinstytucjonalizować
- instytucjonalizowaćto establish as a normal practice
- zinstytucjonalizowaćto establish as a normal practice
- instytucjonalizowaćto commit a person to confinement in an institution
- zinstytucjonalizowaćto commit a person to confinement in an institution
Portuguese institucionalizar
- institucionalizarto establish as a normal practice
Romanian instituționaliza
- instituționalizato establish as a normal practice
Russian институционализи́ровать, помеща́ть в учрежде́ние закры́того ти́па
- институционализи́ровать (institucionalizírovatʹ)to establish as a normal practice
- помеща́ть в учрежде́ние закры́того ти́па (pomeščátʹ v učreždénije zakrýtovo típa)to commit a person to confinement in an institution
Spanish institucionalizar
- institucionalizarto establish as a normal practice
Tagalog isatatag
- isatatagto establish as a normal practice
Turkish yatırmak
- yatırmakto commit a person to confinement in an institution
Ukrainian інституціоналізува́ти
- інституціоналізува́ти (instytucionalizuváty)to establish as a normal practice
Cite this entry
institutionalize. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/institutionalize
“institutionalize.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/institutionalize. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “institutionalize,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/institutionalize.
Source: institutionalize on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.