Styled Definition List Template

A clean and structured template for presenting glossary terms, metadata, or product specifications.

This component styles the native HTML definition list, aligning terms and their definitions in a highly readable two-column grid on larger screens.

A screenshot of a styled definition list with terms and definitions.

Get Source Code Preview

About this Template

The definition list is a powerful but often overlooked HTML element. This template uses a semantic definition list (dl) with its corresponding term (dt) and definition (dd) elements. For smaller screens, it displays as a stacked list. For larger screens, a media query applies a CSS Grid layout, elegantly arranging the terms and definitions into two distinct columns for easy scanning.

Features

Perfectly Semantic: Uses the correct HTML elements (dl, dt, dd) for their intended purpose.
Responsive Grid Layout: Mobile-first stacking transforms into a clean two-column grid on desktops.
Self-Contained Code: All styles are scoped to the .styled-dl-template class to avoid conflicts.
Easy to Customize: Fonts, colors, and layout ratios can be easily changed with CSS variables.

Code Breakdown

The structure consists of a dl element with a class of .definition-list. On small screens, no special layout is applied; the browser's default block-level display for the dt and dd creates a simple, stacked appearance.

A media query for screens wider than 768px applies display: grid to the .definition-list container. The rule grid-template-columns: 1fr 2fr (or similar) is used to divide the space into two columns. The terms (dt) automatically occupy the first column and the definitions (dd) the second, creating the side-by-side layout.

Code

Here's the full code for the template:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>Styled Definition List</title>
    <style>
        /* ==========================================================================
           Styles for Demo Preview Only
           ========================================================================== */
        body {
            font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;
            background-color: #f1f5f9;
            color: #475569;
            margin: 0;
            padding: 2rem;
            display: flex;
            justify-content: center;
        }

/* ==========================================================================
           Styled Definition List Component Styles - Copy from here
           ========================================================================== */
        .styled-dl-template {
            --dl-font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;
            --dl-term-color: #1e293b;
            --dl-definition-color: #475569;
            --dl-bg-color: #ffffff;
            --dl-border-color: #e5e7eb;

font-family: var(--dl-font-family);
            color: var(--dl-definition-color);
            width: 100%;
            max-width: 800px;
            background-color: var(--dl-bg-color);
            border: 1px solid var(--dl-border-color);
            border-radius: .5rem;
        }

.styled-dl-template *,
        .styled-dl-template *::before,
        .styled-dl-template *::after {
            box-sizing: border-box;
        }

.styled-dl-template .list-header {
            padding: 1.5rem;
            border-bottom: 1px solid var(--dl-border-color);
        }

.styled-dl-template .list-header h2 {
            font-size: 1.5rem;
            margin: 0;
        }
        
        .definition-list {
            margin: 0;
            padding: 1.5rem;
        }

.definition-list dt {
            color: var(--dl-term-color);
            font-weight: 600;
        }
        
        .definition-list dd {
            margin-left: 0; 
            margin-bottom: 1.5rem;
            line-height: 1.6;
        }
        
        .definition-list dd:last-of-type {
            margin-bottom: 0;
        }

@media (min-width: 768px) {
            .definition-list {
                display: grid;
                grid-template-columns: 200px 1fr;
                column-gap: 2rem;
                row-gap: 1.5rem;
            }
            .definition-list dt {
                text-align: right;
                line-height: 1.6; 
            }
            .definition-list dd {
                margin: 0;
            }
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>

<div class="styled-dl-template">
    <header class="list-header">
        <h2>Somno-Synthesizer 9000: Specifications</h2>
    </header>

<dl class="definition-list">
        <dt>Model Number</dt>
        <dd>SOM-SYNTH-9K-PRO</dd>
        
        <dt>Power Source</dt>
        <dd>1.21 Gigawatts via standard USB-C or ambient existential dread.</dd>

<dt>Operating System</dt>
        <dd>Morpheus OS 3.2 (Codename: "Cozy")</dd>

<dt>Key Features</dt>
        <dd>Lucid dream control, subconsciousness defragmentation, anti-nightmare firewall, and a "nap mode" button.</dd>
        
        <dt>Dream Latency</dt>
        <dd>Less than 12 parsecs. <em>Wait, that's not right...</em> We mean, it's very fast.</dd>
        
        <dt>Regulatory Compliance</dt>
        <dd>Currently awaiting approval from the Federal Bureau of Imagination and the International Consortium of Sandmen.</dd>
    </dl>
</div>

</body>
</html>

View Output