What does socialized mean?
Socialized has two related uses. As a verb, it describes the process of bringing someone into contact with society or helping someone adapt to a wider community: children are socialized through family life, school, and play, while rescued animals may be socialized before adoption. It can also imply learning the behaviour and expectations associated with a particular group or setting. As an adjective, socialized most often describes an institution or service that has been placed under collective public responsibility. In socialized medicine, for example, healthcare is financed and provided through society rather than solely through private payment and individual provision. The word is related to social and society, all ultimately connected with the Latin idea of companionship and communal life. Its principal meanings are especially common in educational, psychological, veterinary, and political contexts.
To bring someone into regular interaction with other people, or to help someone adjust to the conventions and conditions of society.
"Schools and families work together to socialize children."
Often transitive, though the understood object can be omitted in contexts where it is clear from the sentence.
Made a collective public responsibility rather than treated solely as a private matter.
"The proposal would establish a fully socialized system of childcare."
This use is especially associated with socialized medicine, socialized childcare, and related political or institutional discussions.
Socialized medicine does not mean medicine practised socially; it means medicine funded and organized as a shared public responsibility.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does socialized come from?
The verb was formed in the 19th century from social plus the suffix -ize, meaning to make something social or bring it into relation with society. Social itself comes through French from Latin socialis, a derivative of socius, meaning companion or ally. The same Latin family also produced society, sociable, and sociology, although their modern senses have developed along different paths.
Related word forms
How socialized is actually used
The standard spelling is socialized in US English and socialised in British English. As a participial adjective, it often denotes an institution or service whose provision is shared collectively, as in socialized medicine. The verb is commonly transitive, but it can also be used intransitively with an object understood from context.
Easily confused with socialized
Social is an adjective relating to society or community life, whereas socialized is a verb form or participial adjective describing the process or result of entering society or being made a public responsibility.