appointment

noun

ap·​point·​ment ə-ˈpȯint-mənt 

1

: an arrangement for a meeting : engagement

She has an appointment for an interview tomorrow.

2

: equipment, furnishings

—usually plural

expensive homes with luxurious appointments

3

: a nonelective office or position

holds an academic appointment

4

a

: an act of appointing someone or something : designation

b

law : the designation by virtue of a vested power of a person to enjoy an estate

Synonyms

• job
• election
• assignment
• commission
• nomination
• designation
• office
• position

Examples of appointment in a Sentence

I'm late for an appointment.

I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning at nine o'clock.

The court ordered the appointment of an attorney to represent the child.

the appointment of a committee

the appointment of the new secretary of state

Did he get his job by appointment or election?

He now holds an appointment from the President.

her appointment as ambassador to Spain

Recent Examples on the Web

The court ruled 6-3 in finding that the task force members are inferior officers, whose appointment by the head of Health and Human Services is consistent with the Constitution's Appointments Clause. —June 27, CBS News, 27 June 2025

Inmates could not receive visits or make phone calls, and prisoners at the state’s highest-security institutions were confined to their cells except for essential services, such as legal and medical appointments. —Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2025

At issue in the case was a lawsuit that sought to undo the preventive care provision by challenging the appointment process for members of a 16-person task force that determines which preventive services are to be provided for free under insurance policies. —Nina Totenberg, NPR, 27 June 2025

Condé Nast credited her efforts with driving digital and social media traffic upon her appointment to edit British Vogue. —Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

see appoint

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Phrases Containing appointment

• by appointment

Rhymes for appointment

• disappointment
• reappointment
• ointment

Kids Definition

appointment

noun

ap·​point·​ment ə-ˈpȯint-mənt 

1

: the act or an instance of appointing

holds office by appointment

2

: a position or office to which a person is named

holds an appointment from the president

3

: an agreement to meet at a fixed time

an appointment with the dentist

4

: furnishings

—usually used in plural