stiletto
Americannoun
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stilettos,
plural
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stilettoes
plural
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a short dagger with a blade that is thick in proportion to its width.
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a pointed instrument for making eyelet holes in needlework.
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spike heel. stiletto heel.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a small dagger with a slender tapered blade
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a sharply pointed tool used to make holes in leather, cloth, etc
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Also called: spike heel. stiletto heel. a very high heel on a woman's shoe, tapering to a very narrow tip
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of stiletto
First recorded in 1605–15; from Italian, equivalent to stil(o) “dagger” (from Latin stilus stylus ) + -etto -ette
Explanation
A killer in an old British mystery novel might carry a stiletto — a long, sharp, needle-like knife that's used for stabbing. Whether denoting a small dagger, a high heel, or sharp-pointed tool, this word from Italian always means business. It follows the rule, reliable ninety percent of the time, when doubts arise about spelling Italian imports: the double consonant follows the accented syllable. The root is the Latin word stilus, which means "pointed writing instrument."
Vocabulary lists containing stiletto
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
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On Trend: Fashionable Words
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The Hate U Give
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In a bejeweled white pantsuit and towering stiletto pumps, Megyn Kelly tried to work the crowd like a rock star.
From Slate ● May 6, 2026
The teaser for the film gives nothing away - the famous red stiletto heel from the first film's promotional poster is appropriately joined by a second, identical shoe.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2025
Before arranging herself in a cross-legged position alongside Wang, she kicks off her stiletto heels, rubs her feet and then joins the conversation.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2024
Yet unlike the doll of last year’s blockbuster movie, the next pop-culture star who’s about to re-emerge isn’t a statuesque blonde in stiletto heels.
From New York Times ● Apr. 10, 2024
“Bring me my slippers, ” said Samantha, “and take away these stiletto heels!”
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
Instead of the stilettoes of the 1990s, most looks were paired with platform loafers.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 22, 2023
And, in this summer’s blockbuster movie, “Barbie,” Birkenstocks are the down-to-earth alternative that Barbie is forced to accept over her jeweled stilettoes.
From New York Times ● Sep. 13, 2023
Its strappy stilettoes are worn by celebrity fans including Beyoncé and the Duchess of Cambridge, and were made famous by the fictional Carrie Bradshaw character in the television series Sex and the City.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 25, 2017
Some of it smudges unlucky stilettoes, but most is dutifully tossed into rubbish bins and hauled to landfills, at a cost of over $100 per ton.
From Economist ● Aug. 20, 2015
Her face was as white as marble, excepting her glittering eyes; they, half sheathed under their long lashes, flashed like stilettoes.
From Hidden Hand by Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte Southworth
Luckily, Alex Spall, 48, was on time, but requested her guests wore trainers not stilettos, so they too made it safely across the sand to the ceremony.
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026
"Watch out for the holes!" one guest warned another about the hazard for stilettos.
From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026
Then, moments later, there she is again: Exiting the White House, coolly lethal in sunglasses, stilettos and a funnel neck MaxMara coat the color of a tawny marmalade.
From Salon ● Nov. 9, 2025
And since the audience, which is admitted in groups of 60 at 15-minute intervals, will largely be standing or walking on varied surfaces during the two-hour running time, stilettos are forbidden.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025
A pair of sparkly silver stilettos gives her about five more inches of height.
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
Before the showcase, Kardashian West has been taking the pieces out for a stilettoed test drive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2019
Slim, stilettoed fashionistas and comfort-clad suburbanites gathered around the lounge’s enclosed firepits.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 4, 2018
Instead of earnest eulogies or prayers for consolation, her drag sisters honored Sahara’s memory by striving to match her classically trained dance skills, cartwheel for cartwheel and kick for stilettoed high kick.
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2016
Having been stilettoed by a fellow poet, Le Tissier could be forgiven for wanting Hoddle to come back as in his next life.
From BBC ● Jan. 13, 2014
To properly scale Machu Picchu, Simmons, who is known to always be properly stilettoed, “left fashion behind,” opting for her Adidas Stan Smith sneakers.
From New York Times ● Aug. 20, 2013
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.
