institutionalise

/ˌɪn.stɪˈtʃuː.ʃən.ə.laɪz/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌɪn.stəˈtuː.ʃən.ə.laɪz/ (ame, ipa)

institutionalise — verb

  • institutionalisepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • institutionalises3rd person singular
  • institutionalising-ing form
  • institutionalisedpast simple

1. to turn an idea, habit, or unfair pattern into an accepted part of how an organi

1.動詞及物C1
釋義

to turn an idea, habit, or unfair pattern into an accepted part of how an organization or society works

例句

The school institutionalised weekly reading time in every class by September.

institutionalise + practice in an organization

Years of emergency rule institutionalised fear inside the local government.

同義詞
  • formalise

    stresses making something official on paper or by rule

  • embed

    focuses on building something into daily practice, often less formally

  • entrench

    usually suggests a negative pattern becoming hard to remove

  • normalize

    means making something seem usual, even without formal structure

反義詞
  • dismantle

    used when an established system or practice is taken apart

文法句型

institutionalise + practice

institutionalise + noun + in + organization

用法筆記

Usually takes a policy, routine, or social pattern as its object. Often used for something that becomes normal inside a system, sometimes with a negative idea such as fear, bias, or corruption.

常見錯誤

❌The judge institutionalised the new safety rule.
✅The hospital institutionalised the new safety rule.
💡In this sense, the object is a practice and the subject is usually the institution that makes it standard.

2. to place someone in a hospital, care home, or similar place because living indep

2.動詞及物C2
釋義

to place someone in a hospital, care home, or similar place because living independently is no longer safe or possible

例句

Doctors institutionalised Otis after he could no longer dress himself.

institutionalise + person needing full-time care

The court institutionalised Jenna when her illness made home life unsafe.

同義詞
  • hospitalize

    narrower because it usually means sending someone to hospital for treatment

  • commit

    more formal and often used in legal or psychiatric contexts

  • admit

    focuses on being officially accepted into a hospital or home

  • place

    a broader everyday verb that lacks the specialist care meaning

反義詞
  • discharge

    used when someone is allowed to leave hospital or residential care

文法句型

institutionalise + person

be institutionalised + in + institution

用法筆記

Common in legal, medical, and social-care contexts, often in the passive voice. Distinguish from sense 1: here the object is a person who is moved into long-term care, not a rule or practice.

常見錯誤

❌The council institutionalised cashless payment last year.
✅The council institutionalised cashless payment in all offices last year.
💡Policies and habits belong to sense 1, not the care-home sense.