transistorized

IPA/trænˈzɪs.tər.aɪzd/
IPA/trænˈzɪs.tə.raɪzd/

transistorized — adjective

  • transistorizedpositive
  • more transistorizedcomparative
  • most transistorizedsuperlative

1. An electronic device described as transistorized is built with transistors — tin

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

An electronic device described as transistorized is built with transistors — tiny components that switch or amplify electrical signals — instead of the larger vacuum tubes used in older equipment.

Example

Caleb bought a small transistorized radio at the flea market last weekend.

attributive use: transistorized radio

The transistorized circuits in Hiro's old computer still work perfectly after fifty years.

attributive use with technical object: transistorized circuits

Common collocations
  • transistorized radio
  • transistorized circuit
  • transistorized amplifier
  • transistorized device
  • transistorized equipment
  • transistorized hearing aid
Synonyms
  • solid-state

    Broader term covering any device that uses semiconductors (not only transistors); more common in modern contexts

  • transistor-based

    More literal and explicit; used in technical writing to specify the component type

  • semiconductor-based

    Formal and technical; covers a wider range of electronic components than just transistors

Antonyms
  • vacuum-tube

    Describes devices using the older technology that transistors replaced; common in both technical and historical writing

  • valve-based

    British equivalent of vacuum-tube; 'valve' is the UK term for vacuum tube

Grammar Patterns

transistorized + noun (e.g. transistorized radio)

be + transistorized

Usage Note

Most commonly used in historical or technical contexts to describe electronics from the 1950s–1970s, when transistors replaced vacuum tubes. Often found in attributive position before nouns such as radio, circuit, or amplifier.

Common Mistakes

The transistorized is broken.
The transistorized radio is broken.
Transistorized is an adjective, not a noun; it needs a noun like 'radio' or 'device' to modify.
They bought a transistorised radio.
They bought a transistorized radio.
Both spellings exist, but -ized (with z) is standard in American English; -ised is British. Choose one consistently.

Word family

  • transistor
    nounB2
  • transistorize
    verbC2
  • transistorization
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

The three terms sit at different levels of generality. Solid-state is the broadest term, covering any device that uses semiconductors (transistors, diodes, integrated circuits) without moving parts — used widely in modern contexts, from amplifiers to hard drives. Transistor-based is narrower and more literal, specifying that the device relies specifically on discrete transistors rather than other semiconductors. Vacuum-tube is the direct antonym, describing the older technology that used large glass tubes filled with gas. In everyday speech, transistorized and solid-state overlap significantly — a 1960s transistorized radio is also a solid-state radio. However, solid-state has largely replaced transistorized in modern marketing and technical writing because integrated circuits now handle many functions that individual transistors once performed. For a learner writing about vintage electronics, transistorized sounds more historically precise; for discussing modern gear, solid-state is the natural choice.

solid-state ↗transistor-basedvacuum-tube ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • fully transistorized
  • completely transistorized

Phrases

  • transistorized version of
  • early transistorized

Etymology

LatinGreekEnglish

Formed from 'transistor' (a blend of 'transfer' and 'resistor', coined in 1948 by American engineer John R. Pierce at Bell Laboratories) plus the suffix '-ize' (meaning 'to make or become') and '-ed' (forming adjectives). The word entered English as electronics manufacturers moved from bulky vacuum-tube designs to compact solid-state components in the 1950s and 1960s.

First known use

1952

1952, in the meaning defined above