Showing Results for "designing"

See Also:

• present participle of design.

designing

American  

[dih-zahy-ning] / dɪˈzaɪ nɪŋ /

adjective

1. scheming; intriguing; artful; crafty.

   Synonyms:

   sly, tricky, cunning, wily

2. showing or using forethought.

---

noun

1. the act or art of making designs.

designing British  

/ dɪˈzaɪnɪŋ /

adjective

1. artful and scheming; conniving; crafty

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• well-designing
  adjective
• designingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of designing

First recorded in 1610–20; design + -ing ², -ing ¹

Explanation

The adjective designing describes those who secretly scheme to get what they want, even if it means cheating others, like the designing group member who tricks everyone else into doing all the work for their shared project. You might incorrectly assume designing means "creative," in the sense of a fashion designer, but instead of beautiful clothing, the designing person dreams only of his or her own best interests — before anyone else's. Someone who’s designing plans ahead to make sure things go his way, even if it means lying or making other people look bad. A good synonym for designing is scheming.

Example Sentences

Designing and testing rockets, especially one of Starship’s size, is a lengthy and costly process.

From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026

"Designing and building these thrusters over the last couple of years has been a long lead-up to this first test," said James Polk, senior research scientist at JPL.

From Science Daily • May 6, 2026

Designing a kitchen for how you actually cook begins, mercifully, not with a purge or a purchase, but with a little attention.

From Salon • Jan. 5, 2026

Designing for that person isn’t an admission of defeat; it’s a commitment to reality.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 30, 2025

Her face felt so heavy and sticky, she probably looked like one of the Designing Women.

From "Eleanor & Park" by Rainbow Rowell