Meaning & use
distinctive styles
Last updated
“distinctive styles” is a form of “distinctive style”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
phraseplural
Ways of doing, making or presenting something that are easy to recognize and clearly different from others.
Grammar: This is the plural of 'distinctive style'; use the singular with 'a' when talking about one person or group: 'a distinctive style'.
Patterns
- have distinctive styles
- develop a distinctive style
- distinctive styles of something
The two painters have very distinctive styles, so their work is easy to tell apart.
Over the years the band developed distinctive styles that mixed jazz with folk music.
The city is known for its distinctive styles of architecture.
Word forms
| singular | distinctive style |
|---|
Common combinations
- highly distinctive style
- Her highly distinctive style makes her drawings instantly recognizable.
- develop a distinctive style
- It took him years to develop a distinctive style of his own.
- distinctive styles of writing
- The course compares distinctive styles of writing from different periods.
- share a distinctive style
- All the buildings share a distinctive style.
Synonyms and how they differ
- characteristic styles
- This stresses that the style is typical of a particular person or group, while 'distinctive' stresses that it stands out from others.
- individual styles
- This focuses on each person having their own style; 'distinctive' focuses on how noticeable and different it is.
Word family
- distinctively adverb
- In a way that is easy to recognize as different, as in 'distinctively decorated'.
- distinctiveness noun
- The quality of being easy to recognize and different from others.
Commonly confused: distinctive styles or distinct styles?
distinctive styles vs distinct styles
'Distinct styles' means styles that are clearly separate from one another; 'distinctive styles' means styles that stand out as special and recognizable.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'distinctive' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Distinctive' is an adjective and fits before the singular noun 'style' when talking about one region's special style. Option B wrongly uses the adverb 'distinctively', option C mixes a singular 'its own' with a plural noun, and option D changes the meaning to 'clearly separate' rather than 'easy to recognize'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “distinctive styles”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.