stylistics

American  

[stahy-lis-tiks] / staɪˈlɪs tɪks /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

1. the study and description of the choices of linguistic expression that are characteristic of a group or an individual in specific communicative settings, especially in literary works.

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stylistics British  

/ staɪˈlɪstɪks /

noun

1. (functioning as singular or plural) a branch of linguistics concerned with the study of characteristic choices in use of language, esp literary language, as regards sound, form, or vocabulary, made by different individuals or social groups in different situations of use

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• stylistician
  noun

Etymology

Origin of stylistics

First recorded in 1840–50; see origin at stylistic, -ics

Example Sentences

Dressed in white-and-silver paisley-print jackets glittering under the late-afternoon sun, the members of the Stylistics steadied themselves as a rotating stage carried them before an audience gathered on the blacktop outside Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 2, 2024

“To put it in a nutshell, he’s responsible for everything that’s happened to me in my career,” Stylistics lead singer Russell Thompkins Jr. told the Seattle Times in 2018.

From Washington Times • Dec. 23, 2022

Recorded with Stylistics producer Thom Bell, this ace disco cut from the fag end of Elton’s Philly soul period flopped on release in 1979.

From The Guardian • Sep. 13, 2018

“To put it in a nutshell, he’s responsible for everything that’s happened to me in my career,” says Thompkins, who still tours, with a group called The New Stylistics.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 15, 2018

While we walk home from school, the three of them sing hits by groups like the Jackson 5, Al Green, and the Stylistics.

From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins