designation

American  

[dez-ig-ney-shuhn] / ˌdɛz ɪgˈneɪ ʃən /

noun

• designations
  plural

1. an act of designating.

2. the fact of being designated.

3. something that designates; a distinctive name or title; appellation.

4. nomination, appointment, or election to an office, position, etc..

   His designation as treasurer has been confirmed.

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designation British  

/ ˌdɛzɪɡˈneɪʃən /

noun

1. something that designates, such as a name or distinctive mark

2. the act of designating or the fact of being designated

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• dedesignation
  noun
• redesignation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• designations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of designation

1350–1400; Middle English designacioun < Latin dēsignātiōn- (stem of dēsignātiō ) a marking out, equivalent to dēsignāt ( us ) ( see designate) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

When something has a designation, it has a title or a description that helps you identify it. The “organic” designation on the vegetables you buy lets you know that no pesticides were used in growing the plants. Designation can refer to a title, official or otherwise. You may earn the designation “class clown” for your goofiness, or ask your friends to refer to you by the designation, "Madame Super Brain." Designation is also the act of assigning such a title or position, like the designation of your daughter as heir to your estate. Often, designation refers to giving a formal position. The district board may be responsible for the designation of the next principal at your school.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

designation designations

Unlike Imax or Dolby Cinema, Infinity Vision isn’t a projection format; rather, it’s a designation for auditoriums that meet certain standards for screen size, projection and sound.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026

He said, due to the former presence of greenhouses on the land, which then were destroyed and buried under a layer of top soil, it was reverted to agricultural designation.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Musk’s designation as the world’s first trillionaire is based on dubious Wall Street math.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

The designation would require a gross annual income per capita above $4,000 dollars, compared with present $2,700.

From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026

Its designation was S14A316, but I’d renamed it Falco, after the Austrian rap star.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that sanctions and trade-limiting entity-list designations are on the table.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

But as I have noted, the designations are very peculiar.

From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026

The survey respondents wanted financial advisers to be able to help with beneficiary designations, tax strategies and coordination with any other services they might need in order to draft documents.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026

Like Lough Neagh, it has a number of specific designations intended to protect it.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026

Lyell originally intended to employ "–synchronous" for his endings, giving us such crunchy designations as Meiosynchronous and Pleiosynchronous.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Related Words

• classification
• description
• moniker
• nickname