designing

American  

[dih-zahy-ning] / dɪˈzaɪ nɪŋ /

adjective

1. scheming; intriguing; artful; crafty.

   Synonyms:

   sly, tricky, cunning, wily

2. showing or using forethought.

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noun

1. the act or art of making designs.

designing British  

/ dɪˈzaɪnɪŋ /

adjective

1. artful and scheming; conniving; crafty

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• well-designing
  adjective
• designingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of designing

First recorded in 1610–20; design + -ing ², -ing ¹

Explanation

The adjective designing describes those who secretly scheme to get what they want, even if it means cheating others, like the designing group member who tricks everyone else into doing all the work for their shared project. You might incorrectly assume designing means "creative," in the sense of a fashion designer, but instead of beautiful clothing, the designing person dreams only of his or her own best interests — before anyone else's. Someone who’s designing plans ahead to make sure things go his way, even if it means lying or making other people look bad. A good synonym for designing is scheming.

Example Sentences

The concept of Nueva Vida began in 2022; Mendoza previously worked as a stylist for retailers H&M and Gap, though he says he always had an interest in designing his own pieces.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026

Google partnered with IBM to offer AI agents for businesses, with IBM designing industry-specific agents for Google’s Gemini Enterprise.

From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026

He told the BBC: "What's really interesting is the technology is an awful lot better at designing vaccines for potential pandemics when viruses are changing."

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

Ultimately, the key constraint for America taking the road of greater prosperity and harmony isn’t exclusively about designing the right policies.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026

I wasn’t up for watching Buzz’s demo reel or hearing about the friendly-faced Buddha she needed for the Tibetan prayer room she was designing.

From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen