kick downstairs vs designate

kick downstairs is not an adjective while designate is an adjective.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
kick downstairs	No	No	Yes	No
designate	No	Yes	Yes	No

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

kick downstairs: 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 kick downstairs include assign, delegate, depute.

kick downstairs (adjective)	designate (adjective)
	appointed but not yet installed in office

kick downstairs (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)