Synonyms

allotted

American

[uh-lot-id] / əˈlɒt ɪd /

adjective

assigned as a portion to some person or group or for some purpose.

The allotted time for this task is 25 minutes.
divided or distributed by share or portion; parceled out.

Many students have complained about the poorly allotted parking spaces at the university.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of allot.

Other Word Forms

unallotted adjective
well-allotted adjective

Etymology

Origin of allotted

allot ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

Allotted means given as a share of something. Hopefully you will be happy with your allotted share of candy on Halloween. Something that's allotted is distributed, or shared, like your allotted number of pizza slices. It can also mean your share of a job; on family clean-up day, your allotted task could be taking out the garbage. The Germanic word loter, "lot" or "share," is at the root of allotted. A plus loter form the Old French aloter, "to divide into lots." When you're spelling allotted remember to double up the ls and the ts.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing allotted

Bridge to Terabithia

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George Washington's First Inaugural Address

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On Torch-Bearing "Ineptitude" and Fed "Conclaves": Ten Words in the News You Need to Know

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Pheu Thai was allotted nine minister jobs, including agriculture, labour, education and social development.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum even sent a letter to her South Korean counterpart, Lee Jae Myung, asking that Mexico City get more than its allotted three shows in May.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

One undisputed example of contracts that went awry is $6 million allotted to AllHere, a tech startup that was hired to design an all-purpose, artificial intelligence chatbot for L.A.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

Iroko, who finished fourth as favourite last year behind the one-two-three for Irish trainer Mullins, has been allotted 11st 1lb and is the current favourite.

From BBC • Feb. 17, 2026

At this rate, I’ll have burned through the rest of the $1,200 I’ve allotted for my life in Minneapolis in less than a week.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023