DESIGNS Synonyms: 168 Similar and Opposite Words

designs 1 of 2

noun

plural of design

as in plans

a method worked out in advance for achieving some objective she always achieves her objective by design rather than by luck

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as in schemes

a secret plan for accomplishing evil or unlawful ends the thief had devised an elaborate design to get the invaluable artwork

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as in goals

something that one hopes or intends to accomplish my design in writing to you is to ask for your support

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in motifs

a unit of decoration that is repeated all over something (as a fabric) the curtains have a lovely floral design

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as in layouts

the way in which the elements of something (as a work of art) are arranged the design of the building's lobby encourages the free flow of traffic

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designs

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of design

as in intends

to have in mind as a purpose or goal early on she had designed to a top position in a major insurance company

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as in plots

to work out the details of (something) in advance the foreman designed a better layout for the factory floor to improve efficiency

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of designs

Noun

Sergio tells Bryan that his designs are incongruent, and everyone has a problem with the crotch on his gown. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026 His son, in partnership with close friends behind Bolivia’s best boutique hotel brand Panorama (known for Met and Atix in La Paz), teamed up to bring Ugalde’s vision to life, true to his original designs. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Sep. 2026 The creators say the framework can easily move to other tokamak facilities, offering an adaptable control standard for future commercial fusion designs. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026 The farm has previously featured public figures including Carrie Fisher, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in its annual maze designs. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026 But if the stay is lifted or overturned, USPS would require states to submit lists of mail ballot recipients and get approval for envelope and ballot designs with individualized barcodes. — Peter Weber, TheWeek, 2 Sep. 2026 Levi’s is one of our favorite places to shop for jeans, but the brand also has a ton of cute designs for the fall season, including blouses, sweaters, jackets, and more. — Jessie Quinn, StyleCaster, 2 Sep. 2026 That same year, Kusama struck a partnership deal with Louis Vuitton, which borrowed her designs for a $150,000 bag and a $50,000 surfboard. — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 2 Sep. 2026 Her designs are on cellphone cases, Lancôme lipsticks and Louis Vuitton products. — Elizabeth Blair, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026

Verb

Samba has ties to the Brazilian Carnival tradition, so Anna picks out a floral fabric and designs a skirt with feather-style panels that will move around with the dancer. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026 Katie Becker, chief creative officer of Arc’teryx, said the brand designs products to perform for the long term. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 28 Aug. 2026 Design There are different basketball set designs out there, with some built for the indoors and others for the outdoors. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 24 Aug. 2026 The specialist had to choose which region of the target to model, which tools to use, how hard to filter, and which thirty designs out of thousands to order. — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026 Per Promise’s logline, the film follows a young woman who designs AI personalities for a mysterious tech company . — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 10 Aug. 2026 Anduril Industries is an American defense technology company that designs, builds, and manufactures autonomous weapons, surveillance systems, and military software powered by artificial intelligence (AI). — Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026 Google Cloud designs its own AI chips, operates a global data center network, and sells models, databases, security software, and tools for building AI agents. — Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 6 Aug. 2026 The company designs and supplies nuclear fuel and other systems used across the global nuclear fleet. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 6 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for designs

Noun

Once the moon enters Gemini, conversations will pick up speed as plans become more flexible.

— Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026
That includes its previous plans to commit more than $10 billion to autonomous vehicles in the coming years.

— Samantha Subin, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of plans

Noun

Something common to the plans and schemes of crypto-anarchists is a certain Rube Goldberg fussiness.

— Finn Brunton, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026
His speed can be an asset in run and pass schemes, with Rowe displaying the cutting ability to turn a five-yard grab into a 20-yard gain and the catch radius and high-point ability to make contested catches down the field.

— Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of schemes

Noun

Boise’s City Council on Tuesday denied an appeal from the Cathedral of the Rockies seeking to pave a parking area adjacent to its North End church, dealing a blow to an application that pit arguments of religious freedom against municipal goals.

— Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 3 Sep. 2026
One of the goals behind the Lele pop-up for Uditi, who grew up in Caserta, outside of Naples, was to highlight the cuisine of his native Campania.

— Margy Rochlin, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of goals

Noun

Repetitive motifs in various shapes were her trademark, resembling netting, swirls or worms, but most often dots, dancing proudly on her canvases or as sparkling balls or dots of light in her installations in all their vibrant, psychedelic glory.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Her looks often incorporated classic country motifs like cowboy hats or bell-bottom jeans, though usually made Dolly-appropriate with a healthy helping of sparkles and vibrant hues.

— Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of motifs

Noun

Azalea Group Palmares' flagship apartments provide a variety of layouts to suit various group sizes for those looking for more room and seclusion.

— Jeff Goudy, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
The curriculum prepares students for future education and careers in creative industries, requiring them to analyze, design and render complex graphics, package design, typography, layouts, corporate brand identities and web interfaces.

— Cam'ron Hardy, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of layouts

Verb

The campaign intends to hire a Jewish liaison and is in the midst of an interview process for the role, which includes talking with Jewish community leaders, a person familiar with the campaign told JTA.

— Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026
Sebastian Kim, head of the content business Unit at CJ ENM, said the series had opened a door the company intends to keep pushing through.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of intends

Verb

But the Green Book plots Ecobalyse points, PEF micropoints and Higg scores together despite their different units and methodologies.

— Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026
This chart from Henry Allen at Deutsche Bank plots the rate of inflation at the beginning of each historical period when the Fed began raising rates, against the number of basis points in that rate-raising cycle.

— Jim Edwards, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of plots

Noun

For the first time, visitors can view color photographs from the museum's collection of the August Quarterly, see the church's original blueprints and read minutes from Sunday school programs.

— Ryan Hughes, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is handing Ukraine the blueprints to a valuable piece of his country’s military technology, thumbing his nose at a Kremlin that says the United Kingdom is now a party in the conflict.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of blueprints

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designing

designs

desirability

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Style

“Designs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/designs. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of designs

noun

verb

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