institutionalist
|in-sti-tu-tion-al-ist|
🇺🇸
/ˌɪnstəˈtuːʃənəlɪst/
🇬🇧
/ˌɪnstɪˈtjuːʃənəlɪst/
person associated with or emphasizing institutions
Etymology
'institutionalist' originates from English, formed by the adjective 'institutional' + the agentive suffix '-ist' (a person associated with or practicing something).
'Institutionalist' derives from 'institutional' (late 19th–early 20th century English), which comes from 'institution' (Middle English and Old French 'institution'), itself from Latin 'institutio' (from 'instituere').
Initially related to 'institution' meaning 'a setting up' or 'established practice/organization,' it evolved to denote a person associated with, studying, or advocating for institutions ('one who emphasizes or works within institutions').
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a person who studies, supports, or works within institutions (organizations, established systems), or who emphasizes the role of institutions in explaining social, political, or economic behavior.
As an institutionalist, she focused on how government structures shaped policy outcomes.
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Noun 2
a member or employee of an institution (often used to describe someone associated with bureaucracies, large organizations, or established institutions).
He'd been an institutionalist for decades, spending his career in various public agencies.
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Last updated: 2025/11/01 10:03