designation

American  

[dez-ig-ney-shuhn] / ˌdɛz ɪgˈneɪ ʃən /

noun

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.

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designation British  

/ ˌdɛzɪɡˈneɪʃən /

noun

1. something that designates, such as a name or distinctive mark

2. the act of designating or the fact of being designated

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Other Word Forms

• dedesignation noun
• redesignation noun

Etymology

Origin of designation

1350–1400; Middle English designacioun < Latin dēsignātiōn- (stem of dēsignātiō ) a marking out, equivalent to dēsignāt ( us ) ( designate ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

This designation can help speed up the development and approval process.

From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026

Some of them may be CFPs or another designation that also means they are a fiduciary, but not all of them.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026

However, the designation does not require proof that the device works, and applications must merely state that they are being used to study a rare disease affecting children.

From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026

It was when it reported on matters of which I had zero awareness: my HRV balance, for example, or my chronotype, albeit a wishy-washy “late morning,” a designation I plan to flip to early bird.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

After Independence, when the British left, his designation was changed from Imperial Entomologist to Joint Director, Entomology.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy

Related Words

• classification
• description
• moniker
• nickname