stylize

American  

[stahy-lahyz] / ˈstaɪ laɪz /

especially British, stylise

verb (used with object)

stylized, stylizing

1. to design in or cause to conform to a particular style, as of representation or treatment in art; conventionalize.

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stylize British  

/ ˈstaɪlaɪz /

verb

1. (tr) to give a conventional or established stylistic form to

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Other Word Forms

• nonstylization noun
• nonstylized adjective
• stylization noun
• stylizer noun
• unstylized adjective

Etymology

Origin of stylize

First recorded in 1895–1900; style + -ize

Explanation

The verb stylize means to represent something according to a particular format or structure, rather than the rules of nature. You won't recognize yourself in these photographs because the photographer used a computer program and stylized everyone to look like stick figures. Stylize is from the word style, which is itself from the Latin word stilus, which means a set manner of expression or writing. Other words from the same root word include stylization, stylus, and stiletto. You may prefer your detective movies to be realistic, rather than the stylized works of film noir.

Example Sentences

The database then served as graphic inspiration, allowing the computer to stylize the shots of the cities where the film takes place, accelerating production that would otherwise have taken years.

From Barron's • Mar. 10, 2026

“The Western was born at the beginning of the century with cinema. What Hollywood did was create the American epic and also stylize their reality,” says Almodóvar, speaking alongside Hawke.

From Seattle Times • May 23, 2023

It comes down to cinema’s status as an art, meant to stylize rather than simply reproduce reality.

From New York Times • Apr. 18, 2023

I take only my favorite shots and I tape them to my wall and then go through them, or stylize them in the way I like it.

From The Verge • Sep. 14, 2018

In the future, we may be able to stylize the interior with our own lighting, videoscapes, and soundtracks.

From Slate • Mar. 15, 2018