denoting
Americanadjective
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being a name or designation for something; meaning or referring to something.
Bertrand Russell initially assumed that every denoting phrase—such as "Scott," "the number two," or "the golden mountain"—had to refer to an actually existing entity.
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being a symbol that represents or stands for something.
When any design in metal or pottery is registered as copyright, the denoting mark is impressed upon each article as it is made.
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being an indicator or sign of something; identifying.
The denoting signs of a company in financial distress usually include salary cuts, layoffs, and the resignation of top executives.
noun
Etymology
Origin of denoting
First recorded in 1885–90; denot(e) ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses; denot(e) ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun sense
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.
During her morning news conference, she seemed to mock some of the U.S. evidence, including hand-written ledgers allegedly denoting payoffs to Mexican politicians.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026
In early scenes, he has a small curved line denoting a chubby chin, which changes over time to straight lines on each cheek, narrowing his face when he is old and infirm.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 16, 2026
As artificial intelligence hyper-flattens mass culture, anything denoting evidence of humanity becomes exceptionally desirable.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025
This is now a world, the orders seem to suggest, in which the names on a map, such as those denoting Denali or the Gulf of Mexico, are fragile and subject to revision without notice.
From Slate • Jan. 27, 2025
Then there was your own name, slightly smaller, denoting that this was not about the individual, but the larger quest.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
