Style vs. Genre — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on September 14, 2023
Style pertains to how something is expressed or performed, while Genre categorizes based on common characteristics.
Difference Between Style and Genre
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Style is the distinctive manner in which artists or writers express their ideas. It's the unique voice or technique that differentiates one author or artist from another. Genre, on the other hand, refers to categories or classes of artistic works based on similarities in form, theme, or subject matter.
While Style is more about the individualistic approach or method, Genre groups works based on shared traits or themes.
Be it in literature, music, or art, Style provides the personal touch, the flavor, the signature of the creator. Genre, conversely, organizes these creations into understandable, broad categories, making it easier for audiences to identify and choose based on their preferences.
For instance, two authors can write in the same genre, say science fiction, but each can have a distinct style that differentiates their narratives.
Comparison Chart
Definition
Method of expression or performance
Category based on form, theme, or subject
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Focus
Individualistic approach or method
Shared characteristics among works
Application
Can be applied to individuals
Applied to groups of similar works
Examples
Hemingway's concise prose
Mystery novel, rock music, romantic movie
Purpose
Differentiates one's work from others
Helps categorize and classify artistic works
Compare with Definitions
Style
Style is a unique way of doing or presenting things.
His teaching Style is interactive and engaging.
Genre
Genre is a category of artistic works based on shared features.
Her favorite book Genre is historical fiction.
Style
A particular procedure by which something is done; a manner or way
Different styles of management
Genre
Genre refers to the type or kind of something, especially in arts.
Jazz is a Genre of music originating from African American communities.
Style
A distinctive appearance, typically determined by the principles according to which something is designed
The pillars are no exception to the general style
Genre
Genre classifies literature, music, or arts by form, theme, or subject.
Horror is a popular film Genre.
Style
Fashionable elegance and sophistication
The world-famous hotel attracts guests because of its style and taste
Genre
Genre dictates certain conventions or elements in a piece of work.
The detective Genre often involves a mysterious crime and a private investigator.
Style
(in a flower) a narrow, typically elongated extension of the ovary, bearing the stigma.
Genre
{{Genres is an Advertising Company based in Berhampur, Odisha, India. headed by young and talented people.
Style
(in an invertebrate) a small, slender pointed appendage; a stylet.
Genre
A category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, marked by a distinctive style, form, or content
"his six String Quartets ... the most important works in the genre since Beethoven's" (Time).
Style
Archaic term for stylus (sense 2)
Genre
A realistic style of painting that depicts scenes from everyday life.
Style
Design or make in a particular form
The yacht is well proportioned and conservatively styled
Genre
A type or class
"Emaciated famine victims ... on television focused a new genre of attention on the continent" (Helen Kitchen).
Style
Designate with a particular name, description, or title
The official is styled principal and vice chancellor of the university
Genre
A kind; a stylistic category or sort, especially of literature or other artworks.
The still life has been a popular genre in painting since the 17th century.
This film is a cross-genre piece, dark and funny at the same time.
The computer game Half-Life redefined the first-person shooter genre.
Style
The way in which something is said, done, expressed, or performed
A style of teaching.
Genre
Kind; genus; class; form; style, esp. in literature.
French drama was lisping or still inarticulate; the great French genre of the fabliau was hardly born.
A particular demand . . . that we shall pay special attention to the matter of genres - that is, to the different forms or categories of literature.
Style
The combination of distinctive features of literary or artistic expression, execution, or performance characterizing a particular person, group, school, or era.
Genre
A style of painting, sculpture, or other imitative art, which illustrates everyday life and manners.
Style
Sort; type
A style of furniture.
Genre
A kind of literary or artistic work
Style
A quality of imagination and individuality expressed in one's actions and tastes
Does things with style.
Genre
A style of expressing yourself in writing
Style
A comfortable and elegant mode of existence
Living in style.
Genre
An expressive style of music
Style
A mode of living
The style of the very rich.
Genre
A class of art (or artistic endeavor) having a characteristic form or technique
Style
The fashion of the moment, especially of dress; vogue
Clothes that are in style.
Genre
Genre aids in setting audience expectations for a work.
Knowing a movie's Genre can give you an idea of its content and themes.
Style
A particular fashion
The style of the 1920s.
Style
A customary manner of presenting printed material, including usage, punctuation, spelling, typography, and arrangement
A manual of style.
Style
A name or title
Businesses under the style of Wilson and Webber.
Style
An implement used for etching or engraving.
Style
A slender pointed writing instrument used by the ancients on wax tablets.
Style
The needle of a phonograph.
Style
The gnomon of a sundial.
Style
(Botany) The usually slender part of a pistil, connecting the ovary and the stigma.
Style
(Zoology) A slender, tubular, or bristlelike process
A cartilaginous style.
Style
(Medicine) A surgical probing instrument; a stylet.
Style
(Obsolete) A pen.
Style
To design or fashion in a certain way
Styled the new model after the classic sports cars.
Style
To arrange (hair) in a certain way, as by cutting, coloring, or curling.
Style
To call or name; designate
George VI styled his brother Duke of Windsor.
Style
To make consistent with rules of style
Style a manuscript.
Style
Senses relating to a thin, pointed object.
Style
(historical) A sharp stick used for writing on clay tablets or other surfaces; a stylus; an instrument used to write with ink; a pen.
Style
A tool with a sharp point used in engraving; a burin, a graver, a stylet, a stylus.
Style
The gnomon or pin of a sundial, the shadow of which indicates the hour.
Style
(botany) The stalk that connects the stigma(s) to the ovary in a pistil of a flower.
Style
(surgery) A kind of surgical instrument with a blunt point, used for exploration.
Style
(zoology) A small, thin, pointed body part.
Style
(by extension from sense 1.1) A particular manner of expression in writing or speech, especially one regarded as good.
Style
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.
Monarchs are often addressed with the style of Majesty.
Style
A particular manner of creating, doing, or presenting something, especially a work of architecture or art.
Style
A particular manner of acting or behaving; (specifically) one regarded as fashionable or skilful; flair, grace.
As a dancer, he has a lot of style.
Backstabbing people is not my style.
Style
A particular way in which one grooms, adorns, dresses, or carries oneself; (specifically) a way thought to be attractive or fashionable.
Style
(computing) A visual or other modification to text or other elements of a document, such as boldface or italics.
Applying styles to text in a wordprocessor
Cascading Style Sheets
Style
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.
The house style of the journal
Style
(transitive) To design, fashion, make, or arrange in a certain way or form (style)
Style
To call or give a name or title to.
Style
To create for, or give to, someone a style, fashion, or image, particularly one which is regarded as attractive, tasteful, or trendy.
Style
To act in a way which seeks to show that one possesses style.
Style
An instrument used by the ancients in writing on tablets covered with wax, having one of its ends sharp, and the other blunt, and somewhat expanded, for the purpose of making erasures by smoothing the wax.
Style
Hence, anything resembling the ancient style in shape or use.
Style
A pen; an author's pen.
Style
Mode of expressing thought in language, whether oral or written; especially, such use of language in the expression of thought as exhibits the spirit and faculty of an artist; choice or arrangement of words in discourse; rhetorical expression.
High style, as when that men to kinges write.
Style is the dress of thoughts.
Proper words in proper places make the true definition of style.
It is style alone by which posterity will judge of a great work.
Style
A sharp-pointed tool used in engraving; a graver.
Style
Mode of presentation, especially in music or any of the fine arts; a characteristic of peculiar mode of developing in idea or accomplishing a result.
The ornamental style also possesses its own peculiar merit.
Style
A kind of blunt-pointed surgical instrument.
Style
Conformity to a recognized standard; manner which is deemed elegant and appropriate, especially in social demeanor; fashion.
According to the usual style of dedications.
Style
A long, slender, bristlelike process, as the anal styles of insects.
Style
Mode or phrase by which anything is formally designated; the title; the official designation of any important body; mode of address; as, the style of Majesty.
One style to a gracious benefactor, another to a proud, insulting foe.
Style
The pin, or gnomon, of a dial, the shadow of which indicates the hour. See Gnomon.
Style
A mode of reckoning time, with regard to the Julian and Gregorian calendars.
Style
The elongated part of a pistil between the ovary and the stigma. See Illust. of Stamen, and of Pistil.
Style
To entitle; to term, name, or call; to denominate.
How well his worth and brave adventures styled.
Style
A particular kind (as to appearance);
This style of shoe is in demand
Style
How something is done or how it happens;
Her dignified manner
His rapid manner of talking
Their nomadic mode of existence
In the characteristic New York style
A lonely way of life
In an abrasive fashion
Style
A way of expressing something (in language or art or music etc.) that is characteristic of a particular person or group of people or period;
All the reporters were expected to adopt the style of the newspaper
Style
Distinctive and stylish elegance;
He wooed her with the confident dash of a cavalry officer
Style
The popular taste at a given time;
Leather is the latest vogue
He followed current trends
The 1920s had a style of their own
Style
(botany) the narrow elongated part of the pistil between the ovary and the stigma
Style
Editorial directions to be followed in spelling and punctuation and capitalization and typographical display
Style
A pointed tool for writing or drawing or engraving;
He drew the design on the stencil with a steel stylus
Style
A slender bristlelike or tubular process;
A cartilaginous style
Style
Designate by an identifying term;
They styled their nation `The Confederate States'
Style
Make consistent with a certain fashion or style;
Style my hair
Style the dress
Style
Make consistent with certain rules of style;
Style a manuscript
Style
Style refers to a distinctive appearance or manner.
Her writing Style is very descriptive and poetic.
Style
Style is the method or technique of expression.
His painting Style is abstract and colorful.
Style
Style denotes a specific design or make.
The car's Style is both sleek and modern.
Style
Style relates to a trend or fashion.
The latest Style in shoes is platform heels.
Common Curiosities
How does Genre categorize books or movies?
Genre categorizes books or movies based on shared characteristics such as themes, settings, or subject matters, e.g., romance, thriller, or fantasy.
Can an author's Style change over time?
Yes, an author's Style can evolve based on their experiences, growth, and the subjects they tackle.
How can one identify an artist's Style?
An artist's Style can be identified by observing consistent patterns, techniques, or themes in their works.
Can a work belong to multiple Genres?
Yes, a work can belong to multiple Genres, such as a romantic comedy movie or a historical fantasy novel.
Why is it useful to understand Genres in movies?
Understanding Genres in movies helps set viewer expectations and aids in finding films aligned with personal tastes.
What does Style pertain to in literature?
In literature, Style pertains to the distinctive manner in which a writer expresses themselves, including word choice, sentence structure, and literary devices.
Does every work of art or literature belong to a Genre?
Most works can be categorized into a Genre, but some experimental or avant-garde pieces may defy traditional Genre classifications.
How do fashion designers showcase their Style?
Fashion designers showcase their Style through unique designs, patterns, fabrics, and thematic collections.
How does Style contribute to art?
In art, Style is the unique technique, method, or aesthetic adopted by the artist, giving the artwork its distinct identity.
Can one's writing Style be influenced by their favorite Genres?
Yes, one's writing Style can be influenced by the conventions and themes of their favorite Genres.
Is Genre specific to certain mediums?
No, Genre applies across various mediums including literature, music, movies, and visual arts.
Is science fiction a Style or Genre?
Science fiction is a Genre, categorizing works that often explore futuristic concepts or alternative realities.
Can two writers have a similar Style in the same Genre?
While two writers can work within the same Genre, their Styles can be distinct, shaped by their unique voices and techniques.
Is it easier to determine an artist's Style or the Genre of their work?
It might be easier to determine the Genre as it pertains to broad categories, while determining Style requires a more in-depth observation of individualistic elements.
Can a Genre influence an artist's Style?
While Genre provides a framework or category, an artist's Style is their unique interpretation within that Genre.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
