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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

style.

Senses relating to a thin, pointed object.

5 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/staɪl/General-American, Received-Pronunciation/staɪ.əl/
  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
  2. 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
  3. Senses relating to a thin, pointed object. The gnomon or pin of a sundial, the shadow of which indicates the hour.

    countable · uncountable
  4. 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
  5. Senses relating to a thin, pointed object. A kind of surgical instrument with a blunt point, used for exploration.

    countable · uncountable
  6. Senses relating to a thin, pointed object. A small, thin, pointed body part.

    countable · uncountable
  7. 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
  8. A particular manner of expression in writing or speech, especially one regarded as good.

    broadly · countable · uncountable
  9. 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
    Monarchs are often addressed with the style of Majesty.
    The villagers styled him as my Liege, and this style, once established, was seldom forgone.
  10. A particular manner of expression in writing or speech, especially one regarded as good. A style name.

    broadly · countable · uncountable
  11. A particular manner of creating, doing, or presenting something, especially a work of architecture or art.

    countable · uncountable
  12. 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.
    Backstabbing people is not my style.
  13. 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
  14. 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
  15. 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
Where this word comes from

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. The verb is derived from the noun. Cognates *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”).

verb/staɪl/General-American, Received-Pronunciation/staɪ.əl/
  1. To design, fashion, make, or arrange in a certain way or form (style).

    transitive
  2. To call or give a name or title to.

    formal · transitive
    The pope is styled His or Your Holiness.
  3. To create for, or give to, someone a style, fashion, or image, particularly one which is regarded as attractive, tasteful, or trendy.

    informal · transitive
  4. To act in a way which seeks to show that one possesses style.

    US · informal · intransitive
Where this word comes from

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. The verb is derived from the noun. Cognates *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”).

noun
  1. Obsolete form of stile

    alt-of · obsolete
Where this word comes from

See etymology at stile.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.