appointment
Americannoun
-
appointments
plural
-
a fixed mutual agreement for a meeting; engagement.
We made an appointment to meet again.
- Synonyms:
- date, tryst, rendezvous, assignation
-
a meeting set for a specific time or place.
I'm late for my appointment.
- Synonyms:
- date, tryst, rendezvous, assignation
-
the act of appointing, designating, or placing in office.
to fill a vacancy by appointment.
-
an office, position, or the like, to which a person is appointed.
He received his appointment as ambassador to Italy.
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Usually appointments. equipment, furnishings, or accouterments.
-
appointments, accouterments for a soldier or a horse.
-
Manège. a horse-show class in which the contestant need not be a member of a hunt but must wear regulation hunt livery.
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Archaic. decree; ordinance.
noun
-
an arrangement to meet a person or be at a place at a certain time
-
the act of placing in a job or position
-
the person who receives such a job or position
-
the job or position to which such a person is appointed
-
(usually plural) a fixture or fitting
-
property law nomination to an interest in property under a deed or will
Synonym Usage
Appointment, office, post, station all refer to kinds of duty or employment. Appointment refers to a position to which one is assigned, as by a high government official. Office often suggests a position of trust or authority. Post is usually restricted to a military or other public position, as of a diplomat, although it may also refer to a teaching position. Both post and station may refer to the place where a person is assigned to work.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of appointment
1375–1425; late Middle English apoynt ( e ) ment < Middle French ap ( p ) ointement. See appoint, -ment
Explanation
An appointment is a preset arrangement to meet, like a dentist’s appointment, an appointment with your accountant, or an appointment to have your palm read. An appointment is a formal date or plan to meet at the appointed time. Whether you have a doctor’s appointment, a hair appointment, or a 1 o’clock lunch appointment, you need to be there — or you’ll have a broken appointment. It’s easier to remember your appointments if you write them down! With roots in the Old French apointier, meaning to “arrange, settle, or place," appointment can also mean the placing, or appointing of, someone into an unelected position.
Vocabulary lists containing appointment
Sula
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"The Tragedy of Hamlet," Vocabulary from Act 4
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ment
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Many on Wall Street applauded Warsh’s appointment, seeing his record from 15 years ago as proof he is instinctively tough on inflation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
"I used to try, but getting a dental appointment anywhere near where I live would be impossible," he says.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
Scott Jennings’ appointment as White House press secretary would not be a surprising turn in Donald Trump’s second administration.
From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026
Your last visit to the primary care doctor likely followed a familiar sequence: You waited weeks, if not months, for the appointment.
From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026
“Good to see you, come on in,” the social worker said with a smile, as if this were a visit for fun instead of a court-mandated appointment.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
Most recently, people in Worcestershire hit out over postal delays, complaining of weeks-long delays for important post to arrive, with some missing hospital appointments.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
She urged women who’ve dealt with issues like anxiety, depression or bipolar disorder to make preconception and pregnancy appointments with care providers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
It remains to be seen where the appointments will leave diplomacy with the US, after the expiry of a 60-day deadline for an agreement.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
Slaven said that the VA completed a record number of mental healthcare appointments in the past fiscal year while also lowering veterans’ wait times.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
Since his inauguration as vice president, Arthur had had little contact with Garfield except to lobby for political appointments that the Stalwarts wanted.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
