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lifestyle

Definition of Lifestyle

(noun) The distinctive pattern and manner of living that an individual or group uses to meet their biological, economic, emotional, and social needs that typically reflects their attitudes, beliefs, and values; a way of life.

Lifestyle Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: life·style

Audio Pronunciation

– American English
– British English

Phonetic Spelling

  • American English – /lIEf-stie-uhl/
  • British English – /lIEf-stiel/

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English – /ˈlaɪfˌstaɪl/
  • British English – /ˈlʌɪfstʌɪl/

Usage Notes

  • Plural: lifestyles
  • People’s lifestyles include the goods and services they use, their choice of leisure activities and tastes in art such as film and music.
  • Variant spellings:
    • life style
    • life-style

Additional Information

Related Terms

Works Consulted

Hughes, Michael, and Carolyn J. Kroehler. 2011. Sociology: The Core. 10th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Merriam-Webster. (N.d.) Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/).

Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).

Shepard, Jon M. 2010. Sociology. 11th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Thompson, William E., and Joseph V. Hickey. 2012. Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology. 7th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wiktionary, The Free Dictionary. Wikimedia Foundation. (http://en.wiktionary.org).

Cite the Definition of Lifestyle

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “lifestyle.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved January 20, 2025 (https://sociologydictionary.org/lifestyle/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

lifestyle. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/lifestyle/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “lifestyle.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed January 20, 2025. https://sociologydictionary.org/lifestyle/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“lifestyle.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 20 Jan. 2025. <https://sociologydictionary.org/lifestyle/>.