# regulated

/ˈɹɛɡjəˌɫeɪtɪd/ (US) · /ɹˈɛɡjuːlˌeɪtɪd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/regulated
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. controlled by rules

adjective · CEFR B2

controlled or managed by a set of official rules or laws.

For teachers: governed by formal regulations, typically by a government or official body to ensure safety, fairness, or standardisation.

- The banking industry is highly regulated to prevent another financial crisis.
- In a strictly regulated market, companies must adhere to rigorous transparency standards or face significant legal penalties.

Usage: often used to describe industries like finance, medicine, or energy.

Teaching tip: Learners often confuse this with 'regular'; clarify that 'regulated' implies external control, while 'regular' implies a pattern.

## Examples

- The government regulated the price of bread to help the poor.
- The new agency was created to ensure that the fishing industry is strictly regulated to prevent overfishing.
- While the market was once entirely free, the state eventually regulated the flow of capital to prevent the kind of speculative bubbles that had previously crashed the economy.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.