DictionaryidiomCharacteristic style
noun

idiom

A distinctive way of expressing something in language, art, or music.

The composer developed a distinctive musical idiom.

Etymology

The Greek word names a distinctive feature or expression. An idiom is the characteristic manner of expression belonging to a language, artist, or musical style.

More examples

  • The building combined classical forms with a modern idiom.
  • She wrote in the idiom of everyday speech.
  • The painter's visual idiom relied on bold geometric shapes.

Forms

idiom · idioms

Similar words

style
Style is broad; idiom suggests a distinctive expressive vocabulary or manner.
dialect
A dialect is a regional or social language variety; idiom can also describe artistic expression.