What does "institutionalization" mean?

The process of establishing a practice as a norm.

What is a synonym for "institutionalization"?

Common synonyms include: institutional syndrome.

Pronounced //ˌɪnstɪˌtjuːʃnəlaɪˈzeɪʃən//.

//ˌɪnstɪˌtjuːʃnəlaɪˈzeɪʃən// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
The process of establishing a practice as a norm. countable, uncountable
"The government began the institutionalization of background checks for internet users."
2
The process of committing a person to a facility where their freedom to leave will be restrained, usually a mental hospital. countable, uncountable
"The institutionalization of Syd Barrett was a major event in the history of the rock group Pink Floyd."
3
The presence of social deficits or disabilities as a result of a long period spent in a prison, mental hospitals, etc. countable, uncountable

"The government began the institutionalization of background checks for internet users."

From institutional + -ization.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.