designation

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˌdɛzɪgˈneɪʃən/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˌdɛzɪgˈneɪʃən/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(dez′ig nāshən)


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
des•ig•na•tion  (dez′ig nāshən),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. an act of designating.
  2. the fact of being designated.
  3. something that designates;
    a distinctive name or title;
    appellation.
  4. nomination, appointment, or election to an office, position, etc.:His designation as treasurer has been confirmed.
  • Latin dēsignātiōn- (stem of dēsignātiō) a marking out, equivalent. to dēsignāt(us) (see designate) + -iōn- -ion
  • Middle English designacioun 1350–1400

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
designation / ˌdɛzɪɡˈneɪʃən/
  1. something that designates, such as a name or distinctive mark
  2. the act of designating or the fact of being designated
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
des•ig•nate /v. ˈdɛzɪgˌneɪt; adj. -nɪt, -ˌneɪt/USA pronunciation   v., -nat•ed, -nat•ing, adj. 
v. 
  1. [ + obj] to mark or point out;
    specify:He designated the points where we would meet.
  2. [ + obj + (as +) obj] to give a name or title to:The neighborhood was designated (as) a historic landmark area.
  3. to nominate or select;
    assign: [ + obj + (as +) obj]:She was designated (as) the chairperson.[ + obj + to + verb]:She designated me to do the work.

adj. 
  1. Government[after a noun] named or selected for an office or position, but not yet installed:named ambassador-designate until her formal nomination procedure was finished.
des•ig•na•tion /ˌdɛzɪgˈneɪʃən/USA pronunciation  n. [countable]nicknamed "pretty boy,'' a designation he didn't like but endured.See -sign-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
des•ig•nate  (v. dezig nāt′;adj. dezig nit, -nāt′),USA pronunciation v., -nat•ed, -nat•ing, adj. 
v.t. 
  1. to mark or point out;
    indicate;
    show;
    specify.
  2. to denote;
    indicate;
    signify.
  3. to name;
    entitle;
    style.
  4. to nominate or select for a duty, office, purpose, etc.;
    appoint;
    assign.

adj. 
  1. Governmentnamed or selected for an office, position, etc., but not yet installed (often used in combination following the noun it modifies):ambassador-designate.
  • Latin dēsignātus, past participle of dēsignāre. See design, -ate1
  • 1640–50
desig•na′tive, des•ig•na•to•ry  (dezig nə tôr′ē, -tōr′ē, dez′ig nātə rē),USA pronunciation adj.  desig•na′tor, n. 
des′ig•nee, n. 

'designation' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

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