a particular kind, sort, or type, as with reference to form, appearance, or character.
the baroque style; The style of the house was too austere for their liking.
a particular, distinctive, or characteristic mode of action or manner of acting.
They do these things in a grand style.
a mode of living, as with respect to expense or display.
an elegant, fashionable, or luxurious mode of living.
to live in style.
a mode of fashion, as in dress, especially good or approved fashion; elegance; smartness.
the mode of expressing thought in writing or speaking by selecting and arranging words, considered with respect to clearness, effectiveness, euphony, or the like, that is characteristic of a group, period, person, personality, etc..
to write in the style of Faulkner; a familiar style; a pompous, pedantic style.
those components or features of a literary composition that have to do with the form of expression rather than the content of the thought expressed.
His writing is all style and no substance.
manner or tone adopted in discourse or conversation.
a patronizing style of addressing others.
a particular, distinctive, or characteristic mode or form of construction or execution in any art or work.
Her painting is beginning to show a personal style.
a descriptive or distinguishing appellation, especially a legal, official, or recognized title.
a firm trading under the style of Smith, Jones, & Co.
the gnomon of a sundial.
a method of reckoning time.
Zoology. a small, pointed process or part.
Botany. a narrow, usually cylindrical and more or less filiform extension of the pistil, which, when present, bears the stigma at its apex.
the rules or customs of typography, punctuation, spelling, and related matters used by a newspaper, magazine, publishing house, etc., or in a specific publication.
to call by a given title or appellation; denominate; name; call.
The pope is styled His or Your Holiness.
to design or arrange in accordance with a given or new style.
to style an evening dress; to style one's hair.
to bring into conformity with a specific style or give a specific style to.
Please style this manuscript.
go out of style, to become unfashionable.
The jacket he's wearing went out of style ten years ago.
in style, fashionable.
a form of appearance, design, or production; type or make
a new style of house
the way in which something is done
good or bad style
the manner in which something is expressed or performed, considered as separate from its intrinsic content, meaning, etc
a distinctive, formal, or characteristic manner of expression in words, music, painting, etc
elegance or refinement of manners, dress, etc
prevailing fashion in dress, looks, etc
a fashionable or ostentatious mode of existence
to live in style
the particular mode of orthography, punctuation, design, etc, followed in a book, journal, etc, or in a printing or publishing house
the distinguishing title or form of address of a person or firm
botany the stalk of a carpel, bearing the stigma
zoology a slender pointed structure, such as the piercing mouthparts of certain insects
a method of expressing or calculating dates See Old Style New Style
another word for stylus
the arm of a sundial
to design, shape, or tailor
to style hair
to adapt or make suitable (for)
to make consistent or correct according to a printing or publishing style
to name or call; designate
to style a man a fool
(intr) to decorate objects using a style or stylus
The slender part of a flower pistil, connecting the ovary and the stigma. The pollen tube grows through the style delivering the pollen nuclei to the ovary.
See more at flower pollination
See fashion.
First recorded in 1350–1400; (noun) Middle English, from Latin stylus, spelling variant, mistakenly associated with Greek stŷlos “pillar, column,” of stilus “tool for writing,” hence, “written composition, style”; see stylus; (verb) from the noun, first recorded in 1560–80
< Greek stŷlos column or -stȳlos -columned, adj. derivative of stŷlos
Artists, musicians, and even chefs have their own personal style — a word used to describe the unique ways in which people express themselves. Style is a word that's often used to describe the distinctive way in which artists, designers, and other creative types practice their crafts. The designer who launches a line of cardboard bathing suits is expressing his style, even if no one else finds these soggy suits stylish, or in fashion, at the moment. When hyphenated, style can describe the qualities of a person or thing, as in "Cajun-style cooking."
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A girl could get used to commercial travel, VIP style.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Two thrillers, unalike in style and attitude yet with much in common, arrive Wednesday to television.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Lamine Yamal: Has struggled to turn on the style at this World Cup but the 19-year-old came alive in the semi-final and won the penalty from which Spain scored.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
For that price, a lucky tenant will gain access not only to a slice of life in one of California’s most exclusive communities, but also to a taste of Bloom’s personal style.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
He’s looking at my hair, which Celia helped me style, so even the side bangs are behaving.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Led by a Barcelona -style Lionel Messi, Argentina players appear convinced they will put an end to a 28-year title drought.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 9, 2021
At the same time, Netflix -style streaming has killed the TV profits that paid for the nation’s broadband rollout.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2018
She was sent off across the world to spend some much-needed alone time being spruced up, -style, by Osbourne.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 20, 2013
Once executives prove themselves in a given area—say, software engineering—they rarely go through -style development programs to get exposure to a business’s full breadth.
From BusinessWeek ● Sep. 29, 2011
Beastly, another attempt at a -style teen-romance franchise, was third with $10.1 million, a bit above expectations.
From Time ● Mar. 29, 2011
British architect Edwin Lutyens was credited with blending European styles and Indian architectural motifs in the new imperial capital, which was inaugurated in 1931.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
“It’s about exploring and celebrating so many styles of music. It’s been such a fun adventure.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
The scoring rate, the consistency and the spread across different teams and styles all add up to a Golden Boot battle that feels genuinely generational.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
As dating and marriage evolve and relationship styles progress, these films can sometimes look outdated.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
Posters of beautiful women with hair in all sorts of styles cover the walls.
From "American Street" by Ibi Zoboi
Getting your hair washed, cut and styled, though, will take a lot more time.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
Although it is not trimmed with spring green, as with the first dress Mary ever commissioned for herself, Bruccoleri confirmed that she had styled herself that day.
From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026
The company’s Hugo system is styled as a direct competitor to Intuitive’s Da Vinci robot.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
Nigerian actor Stan Nze, known for his interpretation of Igbo culture, was styled in a black apparel and carried his signature tradtional engraved hand fan made with horse skin.
From BBC ● May 10, 2026
The Gillian addressing the crowd was styled and polished like a TV pundit.
From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely
She said no and wound up styling the hair of the commandant’s wife.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
He made Danson’s Sam Malone and Long’s Diane Chambers part of our cultural lexicon by styling them as the ultimate will-they-or-won’t-they couple.
From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2026
Kylan laughs at the retro styling: "He's there with the tucked-in shirt. He doesn't even have the moustache any more."
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026
The below edited version of the conversation gives you a glimpse into the demanding yet deeply fulfilling world of styling athletes.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
Because of the styling, though it’s nothing you could plainly describe.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
