English Reference
adjective

centralized

adj.
US /ˈsɛntɹəˌɫaɪzd/ cen·tral·ized UK spelling centralised

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    having power or control kept in one single place or by one group of people.

    having administrative or political power concentrated in a single, central authority rather than distributed across local branches.

    Simple

    The company has a centralized management system where all decisions are made at the head office.

    In context

    The government's centralized approach to healthcare policy ensured uniform standards across the country but was criticized for ignoring local needs.

  2. 02 B2 Upper Intermediate

    brought together in one middle or main location.

    physically concentrated or consolidated toward a central point or location.

    Simple

    All the tools are kept in a centralized storage area so everyone can find them.

    In context

    The architect proposed a centralized heating system for the entire apartment complex to improve energy efficiency.

  3. 03 C2 Proficiency Technical

    a way of describing a speech sound that is made with the tongue closer to the middle of the mouth.

    describing a vowel sound produced with the tongue moved toward the center of the vowel space.

    Simple

    In some accents, the vowel sound in 'bit' is more centralized than in others.

    In context

    The phonetician noted that the speaker's vowels were significantly centralized, a common feature of that specific regional dialect.

    Usage

    Used primarily in phonetics and linguistics.

Usage centralised control

Until more recently, it was hard to obtain centralized data on war deaths broken down by year.

Phys.org· 12 Aug 2026

Those early systems were mostly voice‑centric, but they still depended on centralized back‑end systems.

Ars Technica· 21 Jul 2026
This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated