What does stiletto mean?
A stiletto has two familiar modern meanings: a small, pointed knife or dagger, and a woman's shoe with a slender high heel and sharply pointed toe. The knife sense is the older one and gives the word an association with speed, precision, and danger. The footwear sense is now especially common in fashion contexts, where “stilettos” may suggest elegance, glamour, or confidence, but also the physical difficulty of walking in very narrow heels. The word comes from Italian, where stiletto literally means “little dagger,” because its original sense was a small stabbing weapon. Although the two meanings are quite different, both share an emphasis on a pointed shape: the blade of the knife and the toe of the shoe.
nounA stiletto is a small, narrow-bladed knife or dagger with a sharply pointed blade. By extension, the word refers to a high-heeled shoe with a pointed toe.
- A small, narrow-bladed knife or dagger with a pointed tip.
- A high-heeled shoe with a sharply pointed toe.
"She slipped on black stilettos and crossed the room with surprising confidence."
"The knife was a slender stiletto, designed for piercing rather than cutting."
"The designer paired the dress with sleek black stilettos."
The standard plural applies to both the knife and the shoe; the footwear sense is particularly likely to appear in the plural.
"She wore silver stilettos with a plain black dress."
Its Italian name means “little dagger,” a fitting description for a shoe whose pointed toe can strike much harder than its elegant appearance suggests.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does stiletto come from?
The English word entered from Italian stiletto, a diminutive of stilo, meaning “dagger” or “stylus.” Italian stilo ultimately comes from Latin stilus, a word associated with a stake, writing implement, or style, and ultimately from Greek stylos, “pillar” or “column.” The same broad root is reflected in English words such as style, stylus, and stylize.
How stiletto is actually used
As a knife, “stiletto” is a fairly formal or literary term, although it is also used in fashion and restaurant contexts. As a shoe, it is usually plural: “stilettos.” In British English, the name may also refer specifically to the thin, pointed heel itself.