Glossary

Tailwind · Reference cheat sheet

📋 Overview

Alphabetical glossary of Tailwind CSS utility-first and configuration terms.

Term	Definition
Arbitrary value	Bracket syntax like `w-[14ch]` for one-off CSS values.
Content paths	Glob list of files Tailwind scans for class names.
Core plugin	Built-in feature group that can be disabled.
Design token	Named theme value for spacing, color, font, etc.
JIT	Just-in-time generation of only used utilities.
Modifier / variant	Prefix such as `hover:`, `md:`, `dark:`.
Preflight	Tailwind’s base/reset styles.
Purge (legacy)	Old name for removing unused CSS; replaced by content scan.
Safelist	Explicit classes always included in the CSS output.
Theme	Config object defining design scales.
Utility	Single-purpose class mapping to one CSS declaration set.
`@apply`	Directive to inline utilities inside custom CSS.
`@layer`	Places custom CSS into base/components/utilities layers.

Variant stack:

<button class="bg-zinc-900 hover:bg-zinc-700 md:px-6 dark:bg-zinc-100">
  OK
</button>

Safelist sketch:

export default {
  safelist: ["bg-red-500", "bg-green-500"],
};