style

play

noun \ ˈstī(-ə)l \

Definition of style

1 :designation, title

2 a :a distinctive manner of expression (as in writing or speech)

writes with more attention to style than to content

the flowery style of 18th century prose

b :a distinctive manner or custom of behaving or conducting oneself

the formal style of the court

his style is abrasive

; also :a particular mode of living

in high style

c :a particular manner or technique by which something is done, created, or performed

a unique style of horseback riding

the classical style of dance

3 a :stylus

b :gnomon 1b

c :the filiform usually elongated part of the pistil bearing a stigma at its apex — see flower illustration

d :a slender elongated process (such as a bristle) on an animal

4 :a distinctive quality, form, or type of something

a new dress style

the Greek style of architecture

5 a :the state of being popular :fashion

clothes that are always in style

b :fashionable elegance

c :beauty, grace, or ease of manner or technique

an awkward moment she handled with style

6 :a convention with respect to spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and typographic arrangement and display followed in writing or printing

—

styleless

play \ˈstī(-ə)l-ləs\ adjective

—

stylelessness

noun

See style defined for English-language learners

See style defined for kids

Examples of style in a Sentence

I don't like the flowery style of his writing.
She has a unique style of singing.
a baseball pitcher with an unusual style
She writes with more attention to style than to content.
The room was decorated in modern style.
The car is available in several different styles.
the Greek style of architecture
The range of clothing styles has become more varied.
His management style is abrasive.

Recent Examples of style from the Web

Baby back and St. Louis-style ribs are served on weekends.

— katherine kapsy, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Get that cue! Four barbecue restaurants sure to get your hands saucy," 28 Aug. 2017
While Uber’s business continued to grow, Kalanick’s management style faced scrutiny and investors mutinied against him.

— mike isaac, The Seattle Times, "Uber chooses Expedia’s chief as CEO after contentious deliberations," 27 Aug. 2017
The style showdown between the two flamboyant fighters has been months in the making.

— sarah gidick, The Hollywood Reporter, "Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor: Battle of the Robes," 27 Aug. 2017
While testing out the model, the research team, led by Mario Sucerquia, noticed that a Saturn-style planet that close to a star would be feeling the immense tug of gravity.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "New Theory for "Alien Megastructure": A Planet Like Saturn, But Close To The Sun," 25 Aug. 2017
McBride debuted a style of fractured, disorderly prose.

— joumana khatib, New York Times, "Paperback Row," 25 Aug. 2017
Although today’s state fairs might seem to have a lot to do with carnival-style attractions, that competitive spirit lives on.

— kat eschner, Smithsonian, "Bite Into the Whys Behind State Fair Food," 24 Aug. 2017
Most Popular For a family with five kids, Charleston decorator Angie Hranowsky fashions a wildly hip vacation home on South Carolina's Kiawah Island where traditional style meets peak '80s chic — and everything is kissed with bold, sunny color.

— m. k. quinlan, House Beautiful, "This Bold Vacation Home Will Make You Want to Hit the Flea Market," 23 Aug. 2017
Also seen in the exhibit are examples of dresses of several eras in 19th-century fashion, each featuring the styles prominent in those times, including bustles, hoops, corsets, petticoats, fringe and enormous sleeves.

— susan dunne, courant.com, "CHS Exhibit Reflects Queen Victoria's Influence On Fashion," 22 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'style.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of style

Middle English stile, style, from Latin stilus spike, stem, stylus, style of writing; perhaps akin to Latin instigare to goad — more at stick

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

style Synonyms

Synonyms

fashion, locution, manner, mode, phraseology, tone, vein

Related Words

address, delivery, elocution; archaism, colloquialism, regionalism; acceptation, connotation, denotation, expression, idiom

Near Antonyms

classic, standard

Synonym Discussion of style

fashion, style, mode, vogue, fad, rage, craze mean the usage accepted by those who want to be up-to-date. fashion is the most general term and applies to any way of dressing, behaving, writing, or performing that is favored at any one time or place.

- the current fashion

style often implies a distinctive fashion adopted by people of taste.

- a media baron used to traveling in style

mode suggests the fashion of the moment among those anxious to appear elegant and sophisticated.

- slim bodies are the mode at this resort

vogue stresses the wide acceptance of a fashion.

- short skirts are back in vogue

fad suggests caprice in taking up or in dropping a fashion.

- last year's fad is over

rage and craze stress intense enthusiasm in adopting a fad.

- Cajun food was the rage nearly everywhere for a time
- crossword puzzles once seemed just a passing craze but have lasted

style

verb

Definition of style

styled; styling

transitive verb

1 :to call or designate by an identifying term :name

2 a :to give a particular style to

b :to design, make, or arrange in accord with the prevailing mode

—

styler

noun

See style defined for English-language learners

Examples of style in a Sentence

She cuts and styles hair.
She's having her hair styled tomorrow.
a book styled for a general audience

Recent Examples of style from the Web

Even former teen wolf Lautner, who doesn't need to rely on styling optical illusions, benefits from the move.

— megan gustashaw, GQ, "The Fall Sweater That Makes You Look Stronger," 26 Aug. 2017
Stitch Fix — her online retail and styling company — has dramatically expanded its product offerings in recent months, including adding clothing for men and plus-size women.

— katrina lake, Fortune, "Katrina Lake, 34," 18 Aug. 2017
Styling changes include a more wagonlike profile featuring sharper-looking details, a slightly sloped roof, and an imposing angular grille.

— emma jayne williams, star-telegram, "Redesign of Audi Q7 for 2017 raises the bar for this 7-passenger crossover," 18 Aug. 2017
Volvo has also fitted softer tires, and there are some Cross Country-specific styling tweaks like aluminum roof rails, wheel arch extensions, and skid plates.

— jonathan m. gitlin, Ars Technica, "The 2017 Volvo V90 Cross Country, a brown station wagon for the 21st century," 11 Aug. 2017
Photographs by Victor Demarchelier, Styled by Nicoletta Santoro This story appears in the September 2017 issue of Town & Country.

— sarah bray, Town & Country, "Lorraine Nicholson Is Hollywood's Next Vanguard Filmmaker," 7 Aug. 2017
The piece's title is extremely long because it's styled after the way a parcel of land appears on a Cook County property deed.

— kerry cardoza, Chicago Reader, "How Amanda Williams draws attention to the valuation of black neighborhoods," 2 Aug. 2017
All of his locations have featured mannequins styled to the nines with bow ties, pocket squares and lapel pins.

— cristina bolling, charlotteobserver, "New Charlotte boutique has 2 special stories: How the owner made it to uptown is just 1 of them," 26 July 2017
A thickening spray can be used all over your head before drying. 2: Use a styling product Styling creams and oils—especially those specifically made for blow-drying—can fight frizz, protect against heat damage, and tame flyaways.

— rebecca dolan, Esquire, "If You Want a Hair God-Level Flow, You Need a Blow Dryer," 29 June 2017

First Known Use of style

circa 1580

style Synonyms

Synonyms

baptize, call, christen, clepe [archaic], denominate, designate, dub, entitle, label, nominate, name, term, title

Related Words

brand, stigmatize, tag; denote, specify; miscall, misname, mistitle; code-name, nickname; rechristen, relabel, rename; surname

-style

adjective combining form or adverb combining form

Definition of -style

:being in the style of

a Beaujolais-style wine

STYLE Defined for English Language Learners

style

play

noun

Definition of style for English Language Learners

: a particular way in which something is done, created, or performed
: a particular form or design of something
: a way of behaving or of doing things

style

verb

Definition of style for English Language Learners

: to give (yourself) a name or title even if you do not really deserve it
: to give a particular shape to (someone's hair)
: to design (something) for a particular purpose

STYLE Defined for Kids

style

play

noun \ ˈstīl \

Definition of style for Students

1 :a particular form or design of something

classical style of dance

Dinner was served buffet style.

2 :a way of speaking or writing

3 :an individual way of behaving or doing something

He changed his style of holding the bat and hit more balls.

4 :a method, manner, or quality that is felt to be very respectable, fashionable, or proper :fashion

They dine in style.

Dad's clothes are out of style.

5 :an easy and graceful manner

She handled the situation with style.

6 :the narrow middle part of the pistil of a flower

style

verb

Definition of style for Students

styled; styling

1 :to design and make in a known or new style

well-styled hats

2 :to give a special shape to someone's hair

3 :to identify by some descriptive term :call She styles herself an expert.

Learn More about style

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for style Spanish Central: Translation of style Nglish: Translation of style for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of style for Arabic speakers

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style

Definition of style

styleless

stylelessness

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Examples of style in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of style

style Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of style

style

Definition of style

styler

Examples of style in a Sentence

Recent Examples of style from the Web

First Known Use of style

style Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

-style

Definition of -style

Phrases Related to STYLE

Related Phrases

STYLE Defined for English Language Learners

style

Definition of style for English Language Learners

style

Definition of style for English Language Learners

STYLE Defined for Kids

style

Definition of style for Students

style

Definition of style for Students

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