stylus

American  

[stahy-luhs] / ˈstaɪ ləs /

noun

• styli,
  plural
• styluses
  plural

1. an instrument of metal, bone, or the like, used by the ancients for writing on waxed tablets, having one end pointed for incising the letters and the other end blunt for rubbing out writing and smoothing the tablet.

2. any of various pointed, pen-shaped instruments used in drawing, artwork, etc.

3. Computers. a pen-shaped device used on a display screen to input commands or handwritten text or drawings.

4. Audio.

   1. Also called cutting stylus.  a needle used for cutting grooves in making a disk recording to be played on a phonograph.

   2. a needle for reproducing the sounds of a phonograph record.

5. any of various pointed wedges used to punch holes in paper or other material, as in writing Braille.

6. any of various kinds of pens for tracing a line automatically, as on a recording seismograph or electrocardiograph.

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stylus British  

/ ˈstaɪləs /

noun

1. Also called: style.  a pointed instrument for engraving, drawing, or writing

2. a tool used in ancient times for writing on wax tablets, which was pointed at one end and blunt at the other for erasing mistakes

3. a device attached to the cartridge in the pick-up arm of a record player that rests in the groove in the record, transmitting the vibrations to the sensing device in the cartridge. It consists of or is tipped with a hard material, such as diamond or sapphire

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• stylar
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• styli
  plural
• styluses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of stylus

1720–30; < Latin: spelling variant of stilus stake, pointed writing instrument; spelling with -y- from fancied derivation < Greek stŷlos column

Explanation

A stylus is a tool with a hard, pointed end that you use for writing or drawing. Today, you can also use a stylus to virtually "write" on an electronic tablet, computer, or smartphone. Styli (or styluses) were originally used in ancient Greece and Rome to scratch writing into wax tablets; the blunt end of the stylus worked as an eraser, smudging the words out. Artists also use styli for shaping clay. If you're lucky enough to have an old-fashioned record player, you know that stylus also refers to the "needle" that fits into the grooves of the record and plays it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stylus styli styluses

The lines were first drawn without ink, by a metal stylus that scored a tiny channel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026

In my cell, I imagined myself riding shotgun, holding a stylus and Galaxy Note to take down our conversation.

From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2025

Research, for example, has found that students’ brains were more active when they handwrote information rather than typing it on a keyboard and when using a pen and paper versus a stylus and a tablet.

From Salon ● Jun. 8, 2025

That and an iPad with a stylus, and there’s AJ.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 19, 2024

Ama is behind me, carving something on the door with what resembles a stylus.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

The Spin 514’s display supports USI active styli, though one isn’t included with purchase.

From The Verge ● May 5, 2022

Manufacturers can sign up to add support for new or existing USI compatible styli like the Logitech Pen to devices.

From The Verge ● Mar. 1, 2022

During our testing, the more ergonomic styli like the Paper Pencil weren’t significantly more comfortable, and their accuracy wasn’t necessarily greater.

From Time ● Oct. 31, 2014

People want styli: Steve Jobs famously asserted that if you have to resort to using a stylus to operate a tablet computer, you've already failed.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 4, 2012

Between us and Pericles lie a thousand years of night, when styli were stilled, pens forgotten, chisels thrown aside, brushes were useless, and oratory was silent, dumb.

From Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Volume 7 Little Journeys to the Homes of Eminent Orators by Elbert Hubbard

Researchers are now working on a clear nail polish that could make that possible by turning long fingernails into touchscreen-compatible styluses.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 26, 2026

It’s already supported across a range of Chromebooks, allowing them to be used with a variety of styluses from different manufacturers.

From The Verge ● May 30, 2022

The World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Florida, has been handing out styluses since it reopened on May 18.

From Washington Times ● Jun. 11, 2020

Last year's iPad was compatible with the Apple stylus, not only with third-party styluses and keyboards.

From New York Times ● Sep. 10, 2019

Initially, the clay was scratched with pointed tools, which gradually yielded to reed styluses for neatly pressing a mark into the tablet.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond