appointed

American  

[uh-poin-tid] / əˈpɔɪn tɪd /

adjective

1. by, through, or as a result of an appointment (often in contrast withelected ).

   an appointed official.

2. predetermined; arranged; set.

   They met at the appointed time in the appointed place.

3. provided with what is necessary; equipped; furnished.

   a beautifully appointed office.

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Related Words

See furnish.

Other Word Forms

• quasi-appointed adjective
• unappointed adjective

Etymology

Origin of appointed

First recorded in 1525–35; appoint + -ed ²

Explanation

To be appointed is to be given a task or job. If you're appointed as the week's doughnut fetcher at work, it means you've been assigned the job of bringing treats for everyone. You might be appointed for a small duty or for a large promotion, as when the gym teacher at school is unexpectedly appointed principal. Another way to use the adjective appointed is to mean "well furnished." Lovely homes and fancy hotels are often described as "well appointed" or "luxuriously appointed.

Example Sentences

Under the Italian slate-voting system, Monte dei Paschi appointed eight board members from the winning list—including Lovaglio and Bisoni, a former chair of peer UniCredit.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

“We are active in the market as we speak, and we anticipate that my successor will be appointed in the second half of this year,” Green said.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

President George W. Bush appointed Roberts and Alito to the high court, as well as Kavanaugh to the U.S.

From Slate • Apr. 22, 2026

Gorka, who had worked at Bannon’s right-wing Breitbart outlet, was appointed to the Strategic Initiatives Group, an in-house think tank at the White House.

From Salon • Apr. 22, 2026

President John Kennedy, who had appointed him secretary of defense in 1961, called McNamara the smartest man he’d ever met.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• selected