What does "style" mean?
Senses relating to a thin, pointed object.; A sharp stick used for writing on clay tablets or other surfaces; a stylus; (by extension, obsolete) an instrument used to write with ink; a pen.
Style
/staɪl/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Senses relating to a thin, pointed object.; A sharp stick used for writing on clay tablets or other surfaces; a stylus; (by extension, obsolete) an instrument used to write with ink; a pen.
- Grammar: style is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: fashion, manner, ability, abstract expressionism.
- Useful contrasts: awkwardness, chaos, disorder.
- Usage evidence: Your essay is admirable in regard to style.
How to use "style"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "style" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "style" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "style" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "style" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "style" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "fashion" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "style", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Senses relating to a thin, pointed object.; A sharp stick used for writing on clay tablets or other surfaces; a stylus; (by extension, obsolete) an instrument used to write with ink; a pen. countable, historical, uncountable
"Thus while his Thoughts the lingring Day beguile, / To gentle Arcite let us turn our Style; [...]"
- 2 a slender bristlelike or tubular process wordnet
- 3 Senses relating to a thin, pointed object.; A tool with a sharp point used in engraving; a burin, a graver, a stylet, a stylus. countable, uncountable
"From Job xix. 24. it appears to have been usual in his day, to write or engrave upon Plates of Lead, which might easily be done with a Pen, or Graver, or Style of Iron, or other hard metal."
- 4 a pointed tool for writing or drawing or engraving wordnet
- 5 Senses relating to a thin, pointed object.; The gnomon or pin of a sundial, the shadow of which indicates the hour. countable, uncountable
"Laſt of all fit a Triangular Iron, whoſe angular point being laid to the Center of the Dyal Plane, one ſide muſt agree with the Subſtilar Line, and its other ſide with the Stilar Line; ſo is the Stile made. And this Stile you muſt erect perpendicularly over the Subſtilar Line on the Dyal Plane, and there fix it. Then is your Dyal finiſhed."
Show 19 more definitions
- 6 distinctive and stylish elegance wordnet
- 7 Senses relating to a thin, pointed object.; The stalk that connects the stigma(s) to the ovary in a pistil of a flower. countable, uncountable
"The calyx of Theophraſta is a ſmall, permanent perianthium, divided into five obtuſe ſegments, making obtuſe angles alſo with one another: [...] the ſtyle is ſubulated, and ſhorter than the corolla: the ſtigma is acute."
- 8 how something is done or how it happens wordnet
- 9 Senses relating to a thin, pointed object.; A kind of surgical instrument with a blunt point, used for exploration. countable, uncountable
- 10 the popular taste at a given time wordnet
- 11 Senses relating to a thin, pointed object.; A small, thin, pointed body part. countable, uncountable
- 12 a particular kind (as to appearance) wordnet
- 13 Senses relating to a thin, pointed object.; A small, thin, pointed body part.; A long, slender, bristle-like process near the anal region. countable, uncountable
"the anal styles of insects"
- 14 editorial directions to be followed in spelling and punctuation and capitalization and typographical display wordnet
- 15 A particular manner of expression in writing or speech, especially one regarded as good. broadly, countable, uncountable
"May I not vvrite in such a ſtile as this? / In ſuch a method too, and yet not miſs / Mine end, thy good? vvhy may it not be done?"
- 16 a way of expressing something (in language or art or music etc.) that is characteristic of a particular person or group of people or period wordnet
- 17 A particular manner of expression in writing or speech, especially one regarded as good.; A legal or traditional term or formula of words used to address or refer to a person, especially a monarch or a person holding a post or having a title. broadly, countable, uncountable
"Near-synonyms: term of address, form of address, title"
- 18 (botany) the narrow elongated part of the pistil between the ovary and the stigma wordnet
- 19 A particular manner of expression in writing or speech, especially one regarded as good.; A style name. broadly, countable, uncountable
- 20 A particular manner of creating, doing, or presenting something, especially a work of architecture or art. countable, uncountable
"[T]here are two distinct styles in history painting; the grand, and the splendid or ornamental. The great style stands alone, and does not require, perhaps does not so well admit, any addition from inferior beauties. The ornamental style also possesses its own peculiar merit. However, though the union of the two may make a sort of composite style, yet that style is likely to be more imperfect than either of those which goes to its composition."
- 21 A particular manner of creating, doing, or presenting something, especially a work of architecture or art.; A particular manner of acting or behaving; (specifically) one regarded as fashionable or skilful; flair, grace. countable, uncountable
"As a dancer, he has a lot of style."
- 22 A particular manner of creating, doing, or presenting something, especially a work of architecture or art.; A particular way in which one grooms, adorns, dresses, or carries oneself; (specifically) a way thought to be attractive or fashionable. countable, uncountable
- 23 A particular manner of creating, doing, or presenting something, especially a work of architecture or art.; A visual or other modification to text or other elements of a document, such as boldface or italics. countable, uncountable
"applying styles to text in a wordprocessor Cascading Style Sheets"
- 24 A particular manner of creating, doing, or presenting something, especially a work of architecture or art.; A set of rules regarding the presentation of text (spelling, typography, the citation of references, etc.) and illustrations that is applied by a publisher to the works it produces. countable, uncountable
"the house style of the journal"
Verb
- 1 To design, fashion, make, or arrange in a certain way or form (style). transitive
- 2 make consistent with certain rules of style wordnet
- 3 To call or give a name or title to. formal, transitive
"The pope is styled His or Your Holiness."
- 4 designate by an identifying term wordnet
- 5 To create for, or give to, someone a style, fashion, or image, particularly one which is regarded as attractive, tasteful, or trendy. informal, transitive
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 make consistent with a certain fashion or style wordnet
- 7 To act in a way which seeks to show that one possesses style. US, informal, intransitive
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Your essay is admirable in regard to style."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "style"?
Common synonyms include: fashion, manner, ability, abstract expressionism, abstractionism, academic.
How do you use "style" in a sentence?
Your essay is admirable in regard to style.
How do you pronounce "style"?
Pronounced /staɪl/.
Etymology
The noun is derived from Middle English stile, stel, stele, stiel, stiele, stil, still, stille, styele, style, styill, styll, styyl (“writing tool, stylus; piece of written work; characteristic mode of expression, particularly one regarded as high quality; demeanour, manner, way of life; person's designation or title; stem of a plant; period of time”) (compare semantic development to по́черк (póčerk, “handwriting, style”)), from Old French style, estile, stil, stile (modern French style), or from Medieval Latin stylus, both from Latin stilus (“pointed instrument, pale, spike, stake; writing tool, stylus; act of setting down in writing, composition; characteristic mode of expression, style; stem of a plant”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teyg- (“to be sharp; to pierce, prick, puncture, stab; to goad”). Doublet of stylus. The English word is cognate with Catalan estil (“engraving tool, stylus; gnomon; manner of doing something, style; fashionable skill, grace”), German Stiel (“handle; stalk”), Italian stilo (“needle, stylus; fountain pen; beam; gnomon; part of pistil, style”), Occitan estil, Portuguese estilo (“writing tool, stylus; manner of doing something, style”), Spanish estilo (“writing tool, stylus; manner of doing something, style; fashionable skill, grace; part of pistil, style”). The verb is derived from the noun.
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