Stylistisk

Stylistisk is an adjective used in Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish to denote something related to style. In English, the closest equivalent is stylistic. The term is formed from the word for style (stil/stil) with the suffix -isk, a productive Germanic formation for adjectives.

In linguistics and literature, stylistisk describes features that define a text’s style, including word choice, sentence length, imagery, and rhetorical devices. Common phrases include stylistiska drag (stylistic features) and stylistisk analys (stylistic analysis). In stylistics, the term helps distinguish a text’s voice from its content. In design and visual culture, it can refer to the overall aesthetic language of a work, for instance a stylistisk riktning (stylistic direction) or stylistisk konsistens (stylistic consistency). The adverb is stylistiskt; the related noun is stylistik (the study of style).

Regional notes: While the word is widely used in Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish, collocations and usage can vary by language. In Swedish, stylistisk tends to pair with nouns relating to language and writing; in Danish and Norwegian, similar patterns are common but not always identical.

See also: stil, stilistik, stilistik samtal, estetikk, stilnivå.