established

adjective

es·​tab·​lished i-ˈsta-blisht 

1

: accepted and recognized or followed by many people

established rules/customs/traditions

2

a

: successful for a long period of time and widely known

an established author/artist

an established law firm

… people with Ph.D.s have been credentialed by established experts in their fields

—Louis Menand

b

: growing or flourishing successfully

an established plant

an established flower garden

3

of a church or religion : officially recognized and accepted by the government of a country

Some of the religious groups lasted, but at a price. Their dogma hardened, and they developed organizational structures that are mirror images of established churches.

—O. B. Hardison, Jr.

Examples of established in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Philp may grow into that role, but with the trade deadline straight ahead and no established right-handed centre to take defensive-zone faceoffs short-handed, a recall of Ryan from the AHL Bakersfield Condors or a trade for a more substantial solution would seem to be the play. —Allan Mitchell, The Athletic, 15 Feb. 2025

Would that be enough time to become an established incumbent? —Thomas D. Elias, Orange County Register, 14 Feb. 2025

There is no established active trading market for the shares. —Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 13 Feb. 2025

With no established official mediating bodies, these unresolved grievances risk sparking tensions and further undermining the fragile stability that has emerged in the wake of Assad’s fall. —Jesse Marks, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1540, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing established

• established church
• established order
• pre-established

Rhymes for established

• disestablished
• preestablished
• reestablished
• stablished