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

• designingly
  adverb
• well-designing
  adjective

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

But in addition to designing new hardware, Nvidia has become a major strategic investor in various parts of the AI-hardware supply chain, striking deals for large purchase commitments.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 15, 2026

By designing particles that interlock in a similar way to staples, they hope to create materials that are strong, adaptable, and potentially recyclable.

From Science Daily • Jun. 15, 2026

French designer Paul Poiret looked to this history in the early 20th century when he began designing chic, architecturally inspired gowns that required no corsets or petticoats.

From Salon • Jun. 12, 2026

That ranges from designing products and predicting their performance to manufacturing them.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026

“You know the house I’m designing for her dad?”

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish