What does computerized mean?
"Computerized" describes anything that has been converted to operate by means of a computer, or that incorporates computer control into its functioning. It applies most often to systems and processes — payroll, inventory, record-keeping, ticketing — that were once handled manually or mechanically but are now managed by software and hardware. The word carries no strong emotional charge on its own: it can suggest modern efficiency when used approvingly, or coldness and depersonalization when writers contrast automated systems with human judgment. As an adjective, it appears frequently in both formal and informal contexts, typically before nouns such as "system," "database," "records," or "equipment." Its sibling term "computerization" names the process itself, while the verb "computerize" describes making something computer-operated. The spelling with -ise ("computerised") is standard in Britain and much of the Commonwealth, while -iz ("computerized") predominates in American English.
adjectiveEquipped with or operated by computers; converted from a manual or mechanical system to one controlled by a computer.
- (of a system, process, or organization) converted to be run or controlled by computers rather than manually
- (of a device) containing or incorporating a computer as part of its operation
"The library replaced its card catalog with a fully computerized search system."
"The airline computerized its booking process in the early 1970s, cutting reservation times dramatically."
"Even small farms now use computerized irrigation controllers that adjust watering based on weather data."
"Computerized" was born in the 1950s, when businesses first swapped filing cabinets for machines — and it still carries that whiff of mid-century futurism.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of computerized
"Computerized" derives from "computerize," a mid-twentieth-century formation built on "computer," which itself traces back through Latin "computare" — "to reckon or calculate" — from "com-" (together) and "putare" (to reckon). The verb emerged in the late 1940s and 1950s alongside the spread of electronic computing, and its participial form "computerized" became the standard adjective for describing systems converted to automatic data processing. Cognates sharing the Latin root include "compute," "computation," and "dispute" (from "putare"). The British variant "computerised" follows the usual -ise/-ize spelling split.
Related word forms
How computerized is actually used
Neutral in register and common in both technical and everyday writing. The British spelling is "computerised". Often used attributively ("a computerized system") as well as predicatively ("the office is now computerized").
Easily confused with computerized
This is simply the British spelling of the same word with an -ise ending, not a different word.