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

Neither do they appear motivated to acquire pieces that bear no relationship to each other besides the designation “masterpiece.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

You can create a trust for your grandson without having to wait for a disability designation.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

Another proposal would change the designation for short-term prisoners to those serving under five years.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

The maker of ChatGPT will also hold a board designation right, as long as it owns more than 5% of outstanding capital stock.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 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

Those designations can help direct emergency assistance and other resources to affected communities.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026

Most of my assets already have beneficiary or transfer-on-death designations: my bank accounts are payable on death, my car and home have transfer-on-death designations, and my investments have beneficiaries.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

But these designations do not overcome the environmental hurdles.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

Even if properly implemented, these terrorism designations won’t magically defeat Islamism.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

Their designations reflected their use: fighters—also called pursuit planes—were assigned letters F or P: for example, the Chance Vought F4U Corsair or the North American P-51 Mustang.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

Related Words

• classification
• description
• moniker
• nickname