demote vs designate

demote is not an adjective while designate is an adjective.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
demote	No	No	Yes	No
designate	No	Yes	Yes	No

As verbs, designate is a hypernym of demote; that is, designate is a word with a broader meaning than demote:

demote: assign to a lower position; reduce in rank
designate: give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person)

Other hypernyms of demote include assign, delegate, depute.

demote (adjective)	designate (adjective)
	appointed but not yet installed in office

demote (verb)	designate (verb)
assign to a lower position; reduce in rank	design or destine
	assign a name or title to
	decree or designate beforehand
	indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively
	give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person)