designate
verb · adjective
Simple meaning
To mark out and make known.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
dehzuhgnaytSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈdɛzəɡneɪt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
To mark out and make known; to point out; to indicate; to show; to distinguish by marks or description
To call by a distinctive title; to name.
To 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.
adjective
uk
Used after a role title to indicate that the person has been selected but has yet to take up the role.
Designated; appointed; chosen.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To call by a distinctive title; to name.
Used this way, designate is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- denominate , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use designate
- “Please designate a safe meeting spot in case of emergency.”
Share your sentence
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: to mark out and make known
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “designate” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.