style
Forms
- Plural
- styles
- present (v1)
- style
- past (v2)
- styled
- past participle (v3)
- styled
- present participle
- styling
- 3rd person singular
- styles
Definitions
1.Senses relating to a thin, pointed object.
- 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.
2.A particular manner of expression in writing or speech, especially one regarded as good.
- Monarchs are often addressed with the style of Majesty.
- The villagers styled him as my Liege, and this style, once established, was seldom forgone.
- Methods for more "intelligent" spellchecking as well as for automatic checking of grammar and style are on the way, but they will require the support of electronic dictionaries.
3.A particular manner of creating, doing, or presenting something, especially a work of architecture or art.
- As a dancer, he has a lot of style.
- Backstabbing people is not my style.
- His style is slow-build rave-up soul; the music, not the lyrics, relates the message.
1.To call or give a name or title to.(formal)
- The pope is styled His or Your Holiness.
- Marianne's preserver, as Margaret, with more elegance than precision, stiled Willoughby, called at the cottage early the next morning to make his personal inquiries.
- One morning, about a fortnight after I had obtained my liberty, Reldresal, principal secretary (as they style him) for private affairs, came to my house attended only by one servant.
2.To design, fashion, make, or arrange in a certain way or form (style).
3.To create for, or give to, someone a style, fashion, or image, particularly one which is regarded as attractive, tasteful, or trendy.(informal)
4.To act in a way which seeks to show that one possesses style.(informal)
Frequency
Overall
Common· #1113
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Rare
- General reading & writing
- Common
- Academic
- Uncommon
- Literature
- Rare
Related words
Etymology
The noun is derived from Middle English stile (“writing tool; piece of written work; characteristic mode of expression; demeanour; person's designation or title; stem of a plant; period of time”) (compare semantic development to по́черк (póčerk, “handwriting, style”)), from Old French estile, or from Medieval Latin stylus, both from Latin stilus (“pointed instrument; writing tool; composition; characteristic mode of expression; stem of a plant”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)teyg- (“to be sharp; to pierce, prick, puncture, stab; to goad”). Doublet of stylus.