It is true that he did it, whether by accident or by design.
Source: tatoeba (18130)
Design
/dɪˈzaɪn/
Synonyms for "design" (1104 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (10)
Strong matches (15)
Adjective(3 words)
analog networkapplied artsarchitected tooling
Related words (25)
Noun(6 words)
architectureargumentarrangearrangementartart formart objectart workartful dodgeartificeartistarts and craftsarts of designaspirationaspireaspire afteraspire to
Adjective(1 words)
artistic style
Verb(1 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: blueprint, plan, intent, purpose, abstract art.
- Sentence evidence is available for design, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wiktionary, wordnet, opengloss, moby, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "design".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "design"
Keep "design" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "design" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "design", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "design" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
45 entriesadjustarrangementchangeconceiveconceptualiseconceptualizecreatecreate by mental actcreate mentallycreating by mental actscreative thinkingcreativenesscreativitydecorationdesignate
Showing 16 of 45 words.
More specific
20 entriesShowing 16 of 20 words.
Collocations
10 entriesdesign a modeldesign a prototypedesign an experimentdesign briefdesign constraintdesign modeldesign plandesign processdesign sketchredesign a device
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
5 entriesTranslations
46 translations across 22 languages.
Afrikaans
1 entries- bedoeling noun (intention)
Bashkir
1 entries- ниәт noun (intention)
Bulgarian
1 entries- наме́рение noun (intention)
Chinese Mandarin
2 entries- 意圖 /意图 noun (intention)
- 打算 noun (intention)
Esperanto
1 entries- projekto noun (intention)
Finnish
4 entries- aie noun (intention)
- aikomus noun (intention)
- juoni noun (intention)
- suunnitelma noun (intention)
French
2 entries- dessein noun (intention)
- intention noun (intention)
Georgian
1 entries- ჩანაფიქრი noun (intention)
German
1 entries- Absicht noun (intention)
Hungarian
3 entries- elgondolás noun (intention)
- szándék noun (intention)
- terv noun (intention)
Italian
3 entries- intenzione noun (intention)
- piano noun (intention)
- progettazione noun (intention)
Japanese
1 entries- 意図 noun (intention)
Korean
1 entries- 의도 noun (intention)
Occitan
2 entries- dessenh noun (intention)
- intencion noun (intention)
Polish
2 entries- zamiar noun (intention)
- zamysł noun (intention)
Portuguese
1 entries- intenção noun (intention)
Russian
4 entries- за́мысел noun (intention)
- наме́рение noun (intention)
- план noun (intention)
- у́мысел noun (intention)
Scottish Gaelic
1 entries- rùn noun (intention)
Serbo-Croatian
4 entries- intencija noun (intention)
- nakana noun (intention)
- интенција noun (intention)
- накана noun (intention)
Spanish
4 entries- deseño (desus.) noun (intention)
- designio noun (intention)
- intención noun (intention)
- voluntad noun (intention)
Turkish
1 entries- niyet noun (intention)
Ukrainian
4 entries- за́дум noun (intention)
- за́мисел noun (intention)
- за́мір noun (intention)
- на́мір noun (intention)
Sample sentences
28 total sentences available.
I hope to make clear why I think Emmet's theory, originally introduced in the field of design architecture, is so important in physics.
Source: tatoeba (30350)
I can't think about the design any more.
Source: tatoeba (31650)
First of all, we have to put your design to the test.
Source: tatoeba (32796)
Showing 4 of 28 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "design"?
Closest matches include blueprint, plan, intent, purpose, abstract art.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "design"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.