designation

American  

[dez-ig-nay-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

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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

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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

Biomass fuel includes construction waste, orchard cuttings and nutshells, all things that would otherwise be burned in the field or sent to a landfill — thus the designation “carbon neutral.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

But for Musk that’s a relatively trivial amount, even though his fluctuating trillionaire status is currently hovering below the threshold for designation.

From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026

Argentina, Lebanon and Palestine are among the markets with the designation, with none in Asia, according to Bloomberg.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

Rule No. 3: Choose your power of attorney designation wisely.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 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

The new designations make the “network more connected,” Aylesworth added, “something that is important as the impacts of climate change threaten ocean health.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026

Shortly after the designations, Sheinbaum appointed a new UIF director.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

The United States has already applied similar designations to other Ecuadorian gangs, Venezuela's Tren de Aragua and Mexico's Sinaloa cartel.

From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026

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

From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 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

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Related Words

• classification
• description
• moniker
• nickname

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