designer

American  

[dih-zahy-ner] / dɪˈzaɪ nər /

noun

1. a person who devises or executes designs, especially one who creates forms, structures, and patterns, as for works of art or machines.

2. a schemer, intriguer, or plotter.

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adjective

1. designed or created by or carrying a label or identification of a designer, especially a fashion designer, but often mass-produced.

   designer jeans.

2. created for intentional effect through chemical or genetic modification, as for a designer drug, or through crossbreeding, as for a designer dog.

designer British  

/ dɪˈzaɪnə /

noun

1. a person who devises and executes designs, as for works of art, clothes, machines, etc

2. (modifier) designed by and bearing the label or signature of a well-known fashion designer

   designer jeans

3. (modifier) (of things, ideas, etc) having an appearance of fashionable trendiness

   designer pop songs

   designer stubble

4. (modifier) (of cells, chemicals, etc) designed (or produced) to perform a specific function or combat a specific problem

   designer insecticide

5. (modifier) (of an animal) cross-bred for a specific purpose, such as looks, temperament, or likelihood of causing an allergy

   designer dogs

6. a person who devises plots or schemes; intriguer

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-designer
  noun

Etymology

Origin of designer

First recorded in 1640–50; design + -er ¹

Explanation

A designer is a person who plans how something will look. An architect is a designer of buildings, drawing detailed blueprints indicating what the structures should look like and how they should be built. The word designer came into English in the seventeenth century meaning "one who schemes." The word soon came to describe someone who figures out how something should look, especially something artistic. If you're reading a newspaper, a graphic designer planned how the text and images should look on each page. You might also be familiar with a fashion designer, someone who comes up with a vision for a garment and creates sketches to show what the finished product will look like.

Example Sentences

The Oscar-nominated “Gravity” production designer, who cites “Alien” as the first film that made him cognizant of his future craft, says the research-heavy effort was similar to doing a period piece.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026

And ChatGPT maker OpenAI is working with renowned industrial designer Jony Ive on a mystery device for interacting with AI, expected to be ready by next year.

From Barron's • Jun. 1, 2026

Nvidia barely mentioned Arm Holdings in its press release announcing a new personal-computer processor, but investors think chip designer Arm could be the biggest winner of the endeavor.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 1, 2026

The new Ferrari Luce, the brainchild of iPhone designer Sir Jony Ive, is unlike anything the Italian carmaker has ever created - so is the backlash it is facing.

From BBC • May 30, 2026

Ainsley’s at the mirrors, touching up her makeup—packing her arsenal of cosmetics into a designer tote bag.

From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein

Related Words

• architect
• author
• engineer
• fashion designer
• inventor
• maker
• planner
• producer