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stiletto heel

stiletto heel

4 4.4
A very thin, high part under women's shoes that ends in a small point
  • noun
  • /stəˈlɛtoʊ hiːl/
translation icon : tacón de aguja
  • Of the twelve Brooklyn and Bronx girls who paraded along the dock, making their way across the scarred planks in their stiletto heels, my mother was the one he chose, hands down.
  • wear stiletto heels
  • a pair of stiletto heels
  • black stiletto heels

Examples

  • She wore elegant stiletto heels that made her look taller and more confident.

  • And she started to take her right-foot shoe off, with its stiletto heel.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Also, they have to stand for five or six hours in four-inch stiletto heels, which I'm told is difficult.

    Blog text (32)
  • She wears a black motorcycle jacket, a very short skirt, and stiletto heels.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Tiptree watches as she approaches on her way to the stairwell, stiletto heels clicking across the floor.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • She turned to glance out the window and saw Nadine teetering up the block in stiletto heels and chewing on a piece of gum.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The fashion show featured models strutting down the runway in vibrant stiletto heels.

  • Many women prefer stiletto heels for formal occasions because they add a touch of sophistication.

Synonyms

spike heel
vsstiletto heel
3 5.0

A very high, thin part at the back of a woman's shoe that ends in a small point

is more about a very high narrow support ending in a tiny pointed base
French heel
vsstiletto heel
7.4

A fairly high, narrow part at the back of a shoe that curves inward

is higher and tapers sharply to a small point at the ground

Antonyms

2.6

Shoes for women with no or very low heel

How High

stiletto heel
4 4.4
high heel
6 2.7
kitten heel
1 6.1

Surface Forms

stiletto heel singular

Morphology

stiletto + heel

The phrase refers to the heel of a stiletto shoe, and a learner who knows 'stiletto' (a shoe with a very high, narrow heel) plus 'heel' can directly infer this meaning. The compound follows a transparent noun+noun composition and has close parallels in other languages, so a B1 learner would readily understand it.

Etymology

Stiletto heel may come from the small dagger called a stiletto, because the thin, pointed heel looks like a blade. That's why it now means 'a very high, narrow heel' on a woman's shoe.