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.
Four dancers were integrated with the singers in a smooth, physically expressionistic style.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
He has since reinvented himself as a man of the people, melding a relaxed, folksy style with slick social media videos.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
To play Aemond, Mitchell looked at MMA and cage fighters to hone in on the character’s agile, brutal fighting style.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
He is determined to hit the ground running and, where possible, to maintain the style of leadership he adopted as the mayor of Greater Manchester.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Many years later, Bobby indicated that during those speed games Petrosian’s style of play had bored him “to death,” and that was why he’d wound up losing more than he won.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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
For more of an adventure, take a snow cat or open-air sleigh to Beano’s Cabin for a Western -style dining experience.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 25, 2018
The Treasury is hoping to encourage a wave of -style businesses by launching a consultation on £50m worth of tax breaks for employee-owned companies.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 3, 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
They focus on AI tools -- whether text, audio, video or another form -- that have anthropomorphic personality traits and communication styles.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
Her curatorial approach to repertoire isn’t eclecticism, but rather a search for storylines and sounds that stretch across time and styles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 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
She and some younger relatives, all decked out in different styles of Mexico soccer jerseys, had just finished line dancing outside a beauty salon that had set up an impromptu sound system.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
This one held a dazzling display of birthday cakes, in many styles and flavors.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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
How can the man who styled himself as the political whisperer of Washington, with real influence over American politicians, be sidelined quite so comprehensively and insulted so publicly by his key US ally?
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
The company’s Hugo system is styled as a direct competitor to Intuitive’s Da Vinci robot.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
She wore a red-and-white-checkered skirt that stopped above her knees, slip-on shoes with a square wooden heel, and a close-fitting blouse styled like a man’s undershirt.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Olivia, originally from Conwy, loved experimenting with styling and clothes as a teenager.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
The vocoder styling flourish of closing track “Into the Sun” gives one final mood shift as the almost achingly sweet vocals and lyrics transport listeners to a realm of sentiment and gratitude.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026
A styling group stores troves of neutral tone crew and V-neck sweaters, button-down shirts, slacks and extra pairs of the Silver Lining Opticians “Carbon” glasses at an off-site building, current and former employees said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026
On the nouveau fashion blogs of Substack, women exchange styling ideas for the brand’s signature pierced mules.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026
She promises that as long as I use the right products, I’ll have no problem styling the bangs, and I’ll still be able to pull my hair back—I just might need some bobby pins.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
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.
