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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of designing
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
That means giving up or sharing power and privilege and doing the hard work of listening and co-designing solutions with the marginalized groups.
—Setche Kwamu-Nana, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Nov. 2020
In the 1960s, the computing pioneer Grace Murray Hopper would hand out 11.8-inch lengths of wire to illustrate how designing smaller electronic parts would create faster computers.
—John Markoff, New York Times, 29 June 2018
Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 30 May 2026
Organizations must move from passive observation to active strategy, designing structures that translate AI learning into tangible career growth.
—Glenn Llopis, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026
Over the course of three weeks and nearly 150 hours, Mike Elder carefully crafted his honeybee sculpture, welding on antennas and legs, sculpting the yellow and black-striped body from foam and precisely designing its intricate wings.
—Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 29 May 2026
Newman rebranded her business entirely around that mission and started designing scarves with chemo patients in mind.
—Ayren Jackson-Cannady, SELF, 29 May 2026
Now, though, Dawson is a man in demand, designing custom footwear for the top athletes on the planet.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 29 May 2026
Part of the funding model involves designing and selling sportswear globally, which are also worn in the camps.
—Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 28 May 2026
The lunar environment itself is exceptionally harsh, presenting significant engineering challenges for designing a vehicle that can operate reliably, while still meeting NASA’s accelerated deployment timelines and tighter constraints.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 22 May 2026
Creating small products, whether designing graphics to be printed on match boxes or handmaking parting gifts, fits perfectly with this trend.
—Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 22 May 2026
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
That means giving up or sharing power and privilege and doing the hard work of listening and co-designing solutions with the marginalized groups.
—Setche Kwamu-Nana, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Nov. 2020
In the 1960s, the computing pioneer Grace Murray Hopper would hand out 11.8-inch lengths of wire to illustrate how designing smaller electronic parts would create faster computers.
—John Markoff, New York Times, 29 June 2018
Verb
What could be better than designing for England with Nike.
—Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 30 May 2026
Organizations must move from passive observation to active strategy, designing structures that translate AI learning into tangible career growth.
—Glenn Llopis, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026
Over the course of three weeks and nearly 150 hours, Mike Elder carefully crafted his honeybee sculpture, welding on antennas and legs, sculpting the yellow and black-striped body from foam and precisely designing its intricate wings.
—Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 29 May 2026
Newman rebranded her business entirely around that mission and started designing scarves with chemo patients in mind.
—Ayren Jackson-Cannady, SELF, 29 May 2026
Now, though, Dawson is a man in demand, designing custom footwear for the top athletes on the planet.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 29 May 2026
Part of the funding model involves designing and selling sportswear globally, which are also worn in the camps.
—Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 28 May 2026
The lunar environment itself is exceptionally harsh, presenting significant engineering challenges for designing a vehicle that can operate reliably, while still meeting NASA’s accelerated deployment timelines and tighter constraints.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 22 May 2026
Creating small products, whether designing graphics to be printed on match boxes or handmaking parting gifts, fits perfectly with this trend.
—Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 22 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for designing
Adjective
-
What could be more cunning and disgusting than training dogs to commit anal rape?—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2026
-
Dano’s static line delivery gets used for a chilling but laconic effect as his character’s cunning political negotiations lead to deadly outcomes.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
In addition, the group is planning to bury a time capsule to be opened on America's 500th birthday in 2276.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
-
In May 2020, AMC struck a deal for an undisclosed amount of money, gaining control of both properties and planning an interconnected suite of shows under the Immortal Universe title.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
The family had been preparing to celebrate his centennial on June 10.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 June 2026
-
Auditability is not optional, especially for any company subject to SOX or preparing for an IPO.—
Mike Whitmire,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
Right now, the comfy-cute cute walking shoes are on sale from just $55.—
Ruby McAuliffe,
InStyle,
30 May 2026
-
My favorites include breezy linen co-ords, casual-but-cute loungewear sets, and elevated athleisure styles that work for basically everything — starting at $21.—
Jill Layton,
PEOPLE,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
In May 2019, Said left for the United Kingdom, intending to return.—
Bozorgmehr Sharafedin,
The Atlantic,
1 June 2026
-
The staff member is now intending to re-sell the tickets via FIFA’s official marketplace, which will mean FIFA takes a 30 per cent cut — 15 per cent from the buy side and sell side.—
Adam Crafton,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Maya Attoui, whose parents still live in Beirut, is organizing a metro Detroit fundraiser to support Lebanon and raise awareness about the conflict.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 June 2026
-
In 2025, Lithuania took Belarus to the International Court of Justice, accusing the Lukashenko government of organizing large-scale migrant smuggling into Lithuania.—
Tatsiana Kulakevich,
The Conversation,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
Junior Brooke Neale applied a slick tag.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
31 May 2026
-
But homes are personal spaces, and consumers will need more than a shiny robot and a slick app.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Ikebana flower arranging — Japan Ikebana, the traditional Japanese art of flower arranging, has been practiced since the late 15th century and remains deeply embedded in Japanese culture today.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
29 May 2026
-
Ikebana flower arranging — Japan.—
Hanna Wickes,
Sacbee.com,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Designing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/designing. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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