styling

1 of 2

present participle of style entry 2

styling

2 of 2

noun

styl·​ing ˈstī-liŋ 

plural stylings

1

: the way in which something is styled

clothing with classic styling

When it came time to redesign the compact Dakota, Dodge cleverly emulated the aggressive styling of its big, hot-selling Ram pickup.

—Consumer Reports

… Michael Jackson's sinuously breathy, often dreamy vocal stylings are prominent on only two or three of the eight selections.

—Robert Palmer

2

: hairstyling

did all of the styling and makeup for the movie

—often used before another noun

styling gels

styling tools

Examples of styling in a Sentence

Noun

a car with sleek new styling

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Baggy jeans offer sweatpant-level comfort, but can be made sophisticated with the right styling. —Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026

Recipe and food styling by Riley Wofford; prop styling by Suzie Myers. —Lisa Butterworth, Martha Stewart, 1 Apr. 2026

Think saturated makeup, carefree styling, and an unapologetic embrace of all things vintage. —Amanda Le, InStyle, 1 Apr. 2026

Pull one over your usual uniform of an oversized tee and sleek sweatpants to nail the model-off-duty vibe—then add flip-flops for a little touch of Scandi-girl styling. —Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 1 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1899, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for styling

• filing
• piling
• smiling
• tiling
• beguiling
• compiling
• profiling
• refiling
• reviling
• stockpiling
• unsmiling
• reconciling