Synonyms of designing

designing 1 of 2

adjective

di-ˈzī-niŋ 

as in cunning

clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means

a fraudulent scheme contrived by a group of greedy and designing people

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cunning
• cute
• slick
• subtle
• fraudulent
• scheming
• deceptive
• treacherous
• artful
• calculating
• dishonest
• crafty
• tricky
• crooked
• beguiling
• plotting
• shrewd
• devious
• wily
• foxy
• sly
• cagey
• covert
• dodgy
• guileful
• slippery
• deceitful
• shady
• sharp
• undercover
• clandestine
• circular
• astute
• serpentine
• roundabout
• concealed
• secret
• unscrupulous
• facile
• oblique
• sneaky
• glib
• Machiavellian
• insinuating
• surreptitious
• knavish
• underhanded
• circuitous
• shifty
• underhand
• hypocritical
• insincere
• backhanded
• stealthy
• mealy
• furtive
• left-handed
• two-faced
• double-dealing
• mealymouthed
• hugger-mugger
• smooth-tongued

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• public
• open
• innocent
• plain
• direct
• obvious
• simple
• ingenuous
• real
• artless
• patent
• guileless
• undesigning
• natural
• straightforward
• honest
• sincere
• frank
• candid
• unconcealed
• outspoken
• forthright
• unaffected
• unpretending
• unpretentious
• childlike
• unsophisticated
• aboveboard
• unvarnished
• impressionable
• trusting
• simpleminded
• unworldly
• plainspoken
• unstudied
• unforced
• trustful

designing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of design

1

as in planning

to have in mind as a purpose or goal

early on she had designed to a top position in a major insurance company

Synonyms & Similar Words

• planning
• intending
• contemplating
• trying
• looking
• going
• aiming
• hoping
• proposing
• meaning
• wishing
• calculating
• meditating
• attempting
• aspiring
• purporting
• purposing
• allowing
• dreaming
• considering
• plotting
• figuring on
• debating
• pondering
• striving
• struggling
• executing
• endeavoring
• performing
• achieving
• accomplishing
• effecting
• mulling (over)
• scheming

2

as in preparing

to work out the details of (something) in advance

the foreman designed a better layout for the factory floor to improve efficiency

Synonyms & Similar Words

• planning
• preparing
• organizing
• arranging
• plotting
• devising
• calculating
• charting
• shaping
• projecting
• outlining
• choreographing
• budgeting
• drafting
• mapping (out)
• blueprinting
• framing
• laying out
• contemplating
• scheming (out)
• strategizing (about)
• sketching
• figuring
• intending
• contriving
• conspiring
• intriguing
• aiming
• getting up
• concerting
• machinating
• having on
• meditating
• meaning
• putting up
• premeditating

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of designing

Adjective

Marvell’s business co-designing custom AI chips is usually what gets the most attention. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2026

That means brands funding cooling infrastructure, working with workers and unions to establish robust heat-stress protections and co-designing transition plans with workers from the outset. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 5 Dec. 2025

Verb

Los Angeles Chargers Coach Jim Harbaugh loves to establish the ground game, while offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel has proven proficient at designing a rushing attack. — Jeff Howe, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

When designing nursery gear, the baby bottle naturally gets the spotlight. — New Atlas, 9 Sep. 2026

The spa Left Lane makes a point of doing everything in-house, from curating their gift shop to designing spa treatments. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Sep. 2026

Venezuela’s problem has not been a shortage of economists capable of designing sophisticated monetary and fiscal regimes, but its inability to follow strict rules in good times and bad. — Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026

Retrofitting these controls after a deployment is already live is far harder, and far riskier, than designing them in from day one. — Krishnaveni Palanivelu, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026

Architects committed to their ethical obligations should seek other opportunities, rather than risking discipline for designing spaces recognized as torture chambers by leading, bipartisan national and international experts. — Joan Steffen, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2026

For this reason, Triola’s belief that a machine’s aggregation acumen presents chefs with an innovative tool for designing recipes strikes me as misguided. — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2026

Hunt gained fame for designing Union Station in Kansas City and a building at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026