appointment

[ uh-point-muhnt ]

noun

1. a fixed mutual agreement for a meeting; engagement:

   We made an appointment to meet again.

   Synonyms: date, tryst, rendezvous, assignation

2. a meeting set for a specific time or place:

   I'm late for my appointment.

   Synonyms: date, tryst, rendezvous, assignation

3. the act of appointing, designating, or placing in office:

   to fill a vacancy by appointment.

4. an office, position, or the like, to which a person is appointed:

   He received his appointment as ambassador to Italy.

5. Usually appointments. equipment, furnishings, or accouterments.
6. appointments, accouterments for a soldier or a horse.
7. Manège. a horse-show class in which the contestant need not be a member of a hunt but must wear regulation hunt livery. Compare Corinthian ( def 9 ).
8. Archaic. decree; ordinance.

appointment

/ əˈpɔɪntmənt /

noun

1. an arrangement to meet a person or be at a place at a certain time
2. the act of placing in a job or position
3. the person who receives such a job or position
4. the job or position to which such a person is appointed
5. usually plural a fixture or fitting
6. property law nomination to an interest in property under a deed or will

Other Words From

• proap·pointment adjective
• reap·pointment noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of appointment¹

1375–1425; late Middle English apoynt ( e ) ment < Middle French ap ( p ) ointement. See appoint, -ment

Idioms and Phrases

see make an appointment .

Synonym Study

Appointment, office, post, station all refer to kinds of duty or employment. Appointment refers to a position to which one is assigned, as by a high government official. Office often suggests a position of trust or authority. Post is usually restricted to a military or other public position, as of a diplomat, although it may also refer to a teaching position. Both post and station may refer to the place where a person is assigned to work.

Example Sentences

The President-elect has – through his government appointments – made clear that his priority is facing down what he sees as the challenge from China.

From BBC

Facing his second term in office today, Donald Trump and his transition team have hit the ground running with a series of stunning Cabinet appointments that have knocked the political establishment for a loop.

From Salon

This includes waits for gynaecology appointments and planned procedures and excludes urgent appointments for things like suspected cancer.

From BBC

He noted some of the nominees are "controversial" and appeared to acknowledge some could face problems in the Senate, which is tasked with vetting thousands of presidential nominees and voting on their appointments.

From BBC

Wright’s appointment is a win for the fossil fuel industry, which expects a boom under the next administration.

From BBC

Related Words

• approval
• certification
• choice
• designation
• election
• nomination
• selection