Fashion — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈfa-shən/ fash·ion

Meaning & Definition of Fashion

Fashion (noun)

  1. the prevailing style (as in dress) during a particular time
  2. a garment in such a style
  3. the business of creating and selling clothes in new styles —often used before another noun

Fashion (verb)

  1. to give shape or form to, to make, construct, or create (something) usually with careful attention or by the use of imagination and ingenuity
  2. to design or devise for a particular use or purpose
  3. contrive

Fashion (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a practice or interest that is very popular for a short time

    "during the 1990s tattoos once again became a hot fashion especially for young men"

    similar: buzz, chic, craze, dernier cri, enthusiasm, fad, flavor, go, hot ticket, last word, latest, mode, rage, sensation, style, ton, trend, vogue
    related: nine days' wonder, new wave, crush, infatuation, fervor, passion, furor, fuss, hullabaloo, to-do, uproar, bandwagon, crusade, cult, movement, novelty, wrinkle, caprice, fancy, whim
    near: classic, standard

  2. a distinctive way of putting ideas into words

    "when angry, he tends to express himself in a fashion that shows that he has a mastery of all of the expletives in which the English language abounds"

    similar: locution, manner, mode, phraseology, style, tone, vein
    related: address, delivery, elocution, colloquialism, regionalism, acceptation, connotation, denotation, expression, idiom

  3. a usual manner of behaving or doing

    "it has long been my fashion to rise early"

    similar: custom, habit, habitude, pattern, practice, ritual, second nature, trick, way, wont
    related: addiction, disposition, bent, inclination, proclivity, set, tendency, tenor, turn, bag, convention, form, mode, style, usage, use, deportment, manners, mores, drill, groove, jog trot, regime, regimen, rote, routine, rut, affectation, airs, pose, attribute, characteristic, mark, trait, eccentricity, kink, oddity, peculiarity, quirk, singularity, tic

  4. the means or procedure for doing something

    "you can mix the ingredients in any fashion you choose—by hand or by machine"

    similar: approach, form, how, manner, method, methodology, recipe, strategy, style, system, tack, tactics, technique, way
    related: mode, modus operandi, blueprint, design, game, game plan, ground plan, intrigue, layout, line, model, plan, plot, program, route, scheme, expedient, move, shift, step, practice, process, routine, policy

  5. high position within society

    "a literary salon attended by people of fashion from all over the city"

    similar: class, dignity, quality, rank, standing, state
    related: gentility, gentleness, nobility, nobleness, grandness, highness, loftiness, distinction, dominance, precedence, preeminence, primacy, superiority, caste, station, status, preferment
    near: debasement, degradation, subordinateness, subordination, baseness, commonness, inferiority, lowliness, lowness

  6. the outward appearance of something as distinguished from its substance

    "over the millennia, nature had worked the face of the rocky cliff into the fashion of a man's head"

    similar: cast, configuration, conformation, figure, form, geometry, shape
    related: contour, outline, profile, silhouette, frame, framework, shell, skeleton, arrangement, design, format, layout, makeup, organization, pattern, plan, setup
    near: composition, material, matter, raw material, stuff, substance

Fashion (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to change (something) so as to make it suitable for a new use or situation

    "the ex-governor seems to be fashioning his political beliefs to win favor with a more conservative national electorate"

    similar: acclimate, acclimatize, accommodate, adapt, adjust, condition, conform, doctor, edit, fit, put, shape, suit, tailor
    related: readapt, readjust, customize, gear, match, model, pattern, attune, correct, harmonize, square, tune, establish, root, settle, acquaint, familiarize, orient, orientate, equip, prepare, prime, rehearse, harden, inure, season, toughen, alter, convert, make over, modify, recast, reclaim, recycle, redesign, redevelop, redo, reengineer, refashion, refigure, refit, refocus, reinvent, rejigger, remake, remodel, revamp, revise, rework, transform, accustom, habilitate, habituate, naturalize, ready, train, bend, fiddle (with), fine-tune, phase, register, regulate, rig
    near: misadjust

  2. to bring into being by combining, shaping, or transforming materials

    "for the Christmas pageant the boy's mother was able to fashion the length of fabric into something that could pass as a shepherd's outfit"

    similar: fabricate, form, frame, make, manufacture, produce, put together
    related: assemble, build, construct, erect, make up, put up, raise, rear, set up, structure, throw up, craft, handcraft, hew, forge, mold, shape, cobble (together or up), knock out, patch (together), prefabricate, create, invent, mint, originate, establish, father, institute, organize, concoct, contrive, cook (up), design, devise, imagine, think (up), conceive, envisage, picture, visualize, refashion, remake, remanufacture
    near: disassemble, dismantle, take apart, break up, dismember, abolish, annihilate, demolish, destroy, devastate, eradicate, exterminate, extinguish, flatten, pulverize, raze, ruin, shatter, smash, wreck, blow up, explode

Related Entry: After a fashion (phrase)

After a fashion is a different word from Fashion. The synonyms below are for after a fashion, not for fashion.

  1. close to but not exactly

    "He can knit after a fashion, but a sweater may be a tall order."

    similar: about, approximately, around, like, more or less, much, near, plus or minus, roughly, say, some, somewhere about, somewhere around
    related: generally, kind of, loosely, nearly, nominally, practically, virtually, well-nigh
    opposite: exactly, precisely
    near: due, even, just, sharp, smack-dab, squarely

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Fashion

The most common words with a similar meaning to Fashion:

buzz, chic, craze, dernier cri, enthusiasm, fad, flavor, go, hot ticket, last word, latest, mode, rage, sensation, style, ton, trend, vogue, locution, manner, phraseology, tone, vein, custom, habit, habitude, pattern, practice, ritual, second nature, trick, way, wont, approach, form, how, method, methodology, recipe, strategy

Related Words for Fashion

nine days' wonder, new wave, crush, infatuation, fervor, passion, furor, fuss, hullabaloo, to-do, uproar, bandwagon, crusade, cult, movement, novelty, wrinkle, caprice, fancy, whim, address, delivery, elocution, colloquialism, regionalism, acceptation, connotation, denotation, expression, idiom

Near Antonyms of Fashion

classic, standard, debasement, degradation, subordinateness, subordination, baseness, commonness, inferiority, lowliness, lowness, composition, material, matter, raw material, stuff, substance, misadjust, disassemble, dismantle, take apart, break up, dismember, abolish, annihilate, demolish, destroy, devastate, eradicate, exterminate

Word Forms of Fashion

Inflections: fashioned, fashioning, fashions

Derived words: fashioner (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Fashion

Middle English fasoun, fasioun, fascioun, facioun, borrowed from Anglo-French façun, fauschoun "production, construction, appearance, form, sort, manner," going back to Latin factiōn-, factiō "act of making," from facere "to make, bring about, do" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action fact

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Fashion

Words & Phrases Containing Fashion

fashion-forward, fashion plate, fashion show, fashion victim, after a fashion, Bristol fashion, fast fashion, high fashion

Frequently Asked Questions about Fashion

What does "Fashion" mean?

"Fashion" means the prevailing style (as in dress) during a particular time. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: the prevailing style (as in dress) during a particular time. It has 8 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Fashion"?

Other words for "Fashion" include buzz, chic, craze, dernier cri, enthusiasm, fad, flavor and go. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Fashion" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Fashion"?

There are 292 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Fashion". Common alternatives include buzz, chic, craze, dernier cri, enthusiasm, fad, flavor, go, hot ticket and last word.

How do you use "Fashion" in a sentence?

Examples of "Fashion" in a sentence: "during the 1990s tattoos once again became a hot fashion especially for young men"; "when angry, he tends to express himself in a fashion that shows that he has a mastery of all of the expletives in which the English language abounds"; "it has long been my fashion to rise early".

Is "Fashion" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Fashion" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Fashion" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "Fashion" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.

How do you pronounce "Fashion"?

"Fashion" is pronounced /ˈfa-shən/ and divided into syllables as fash·ion.

What is the origin of the word "Fashion"?

"Fashion" comes from Middle English fasoun, fasioun, fascioun, facioun, borrowed from Anglo-French façun, fauschoun "production, construction, appearance, form, sort, manner," going back to Latin factiōn-, factiō "act of making," from facere "to make, bring about, do" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action fact. First known use: 14th century.