institution
noun
Simple meaning
A custom that for a long time has been an important feature of some group or society.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ihnstihtooshuhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɪnstɪˈtuʃən
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A custom that for a long time has been an important feature of some group or society
A custom or practice of a society or community.
A long established and respected organization, particularly one involved with education, public service, or charity work.
An establishment consisting of a building or complex of buildings where an organization for the promotion of some cause is situated
The building or buildings which house such an organization.
Any facility where people (especially those who are mentally or physically disabled or sick, or who are prisoners) are committed (confined), where their freedom to leave is restricted.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- General English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A long established and respected organization, particularly one involved with education, public service, or charity work.
Used this way, institution is a reasonably familiar word with a mildly favourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Slightly positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Positive and appreciative
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use institution
- “This old institution has been serving the community for years.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Related to A custom that for a long time has been an important feature of some group or society.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
An institution where persons are confined for punishment and to protect the public.
A penal institution maintained by the government.
A depository financial institution intended to encourage personal savings and home buying.
A financial institution that accepts deposits and channels the money into lending activities.
An institution dedicated to education.
An institution (public or private) that collects funds (from the public or other institutions) and invests them in financial assets.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
Officially placed in or committed to a specialized institution.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: custom that for a long time has been an important feature of some group
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.