Meanings
- UKnot comparableUsed after a role title to indicate that the person has been selected but has yet to take up the role.
King designate
1619, George Buck, The History of King Richard the Third
present singular third person designates · participle present designating · participle past designated · past designated
- To call by a distinctive title; to name.
"Yes, let 'Sister' Davis have a whack at it too," urged George Bland. Tom Davis, who was Joe Matson's particular chum, was designated "Sister" because, in an incautious moment, when first coming to Excelsior Hall, he had shown a picture of his very pretty sister, Mabel.
1912, chapter 1, in Baseball Joe on the School Nine, Stratemeyer SyndicateSynonyms: denominate
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo mark out and make known; to point out; to indicate; to show; to distinguish by marks or description
verbTo call by a distinctive title; to name.
verbTo indicate or set apart for a purpose or duty — with to or for; to designate an officer for or to the command of a post or station.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveappointed but not yet installed in office
verbgive an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person)
verbindicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latindēsignātus
- Englishdesignate
Borrowed from Latin dēsignātus, perfect passive participle of designō, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (verb-forming suffix). Doublet of design.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian означа́вам, обозначавам
- означа́вам (označávam)to mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- обозначавам (oboznačavam)to mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- назначавам (naznačavam)to call by a distinctive title; to name
- именувам (imenuvam)to call by a distinctive title; to name
- определям (opredeljam)to indicate or set apart for a purpose or duty
- предназначавам (prednaznačavam)to indicate or set apart for a purpose or duty
Chinese Mandarin 指定, 劃定 /划定
- 指定 (zhǐdìng)to mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- 劃定 /划定 (huàdìng)to mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- 稱呼 /称呼 (chēnghū)to call by a distinctive title; to name
- 命名 (mìngmíng)to call by a distinctive title; to name
- 指定 (zhǐdìng)to indicate or set apart for a purpose or duty
- 分配 (fēnpèi)to indicate or set apart for a purpose or duty
Czech označit, vymezit
- označitto mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- vymezitto mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- označitto call by a distinctive title; to name
- ustanovitto indicate or set apart for a purpose or duty
- jmenovatto indicate or set apart for a purpose or duty
Dutch bepalen, noemen
- bepalento mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- noemento call by a distinctive title; to name
- benoemento call by a distinctive title; to name
- aanduiden alsto call by a distinctive title; to name
Finnish nimittää, valita
- nimittääto mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- valitato mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- merkitäto mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- määrittääto mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- osoittaato mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- nimittääto call by a distinctive title; to name
- nimittääto indicate or set apart for a purpose or duty
- nimetäto indicate or set apart for a purpose or duty
- korvamerkitäto indicate or set apart for a purpose or duty
French désigner
- désignerto mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
German bestimmen, kennzeichnen
- bestimmento mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- kennzeichnento mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- markierento mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- benennento mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- designierento mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- signierento mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- festlegento mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- vorsehento mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- ausweisento mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- ansetzento mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- designierento call by a distinctive title; to name
- nominierento call by a distinctive title; to name
Hindi नियुक्त करना
- नियुक्त करना (niyukt karnā)to indicate or set apart for a purpose or duty
Japanese 示す, 称する
- 示す (shimesu)to mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- 称する (shōsuru)to call by a distinctive title; to name
- 指定する (shitei suru)to indicate or set apart for a purpose or duty
Latin dēsignō, addīcō
- dēsignōto mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- addīcōto indicate or set apart for a purpose or duty
Māori tautapa
- tautapato indicate or set apart for a purpose or duty
Norwegian Bokmål betegne
- betegneto mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
Portuguese designar, designar
- designarto mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- designarto call by a distinctive title; to name
- designarto indicate or set apart for a purpose or duty
Romanian desemna, indica
- desemnato mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- indicato mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- designato mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- desemnato call by a distinctive title; to name
- numito call by a distinctive title; to name
- denumito call by a distinctive title; to name
- desemnato indicate or set apart for a purpose or duty
Russian ука́зывать, называ́ть
- ука́зывать (ukázyvatʹ)to mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- называ́ть (nazyvátʹ)to call by a distinctive title; to name
- именова́ть (imenovátʹ)to call by a distinctive title; to name
- назнача́ть (naznačátʹ)to indicate or set apart for a purpose or duty
Spanish designar, designar
- designarto mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate
- designarto call by a distinctive title; to name
- designarto indicate or set apart for a purpose or duty
Swedish utpeka
- utpekato call by a distinctive title; to name
Cite this entry
designate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/designate
“designate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/designate. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “designate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/designate.
Source: designate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.