formal Hear it!

formal Definition

for·mal (fôr′məl)

adjective

  1. of external form or structure, rather than nature or content
  2. of the internal form; relating to the intrinsic or essential character or nature
  3. of or according to prescribed or fixed customs, rules, ceremonies, etc. a formal wedding
    1. having the appearance of being suitable, correct, etc., but not really so
    2. stiff in manner; not warm or relaxed
    1. designed for use or wear at ceremonies, elaborate parties, etc. formal dress
    2. requiring clothes of this kind a formal dance
  6. done or made in orderly, regular fashion; methodical
  7. very regular or orderly in arrangement, pattern, etc.; rigidly symmetrical a formal garden
  8. done or made according to the forms that make explicit, definite, valid, etc. a formal contract
  9. designating education in schools, colleges, etc.
  10. designating or of the level of language usage characterized by expanded vocabulary, complete syntactic constructions, complex sentences, etc.

Etymology: ME < L formalis < forma, form

noun

  1. a formal dance or ball
  2. a woman's evening dress

formal Idioms

go formal

Informal to go dressed in evening clothes

formal Synonyms

formal

modif.

  1. Notable for arrangement

    orderly, precise, set, symmetrical; see regular 3.

  2. Concerned with etiquette and behavior

    reserved, distant, stiff, ceremonious; see conventional 2, 3, polite 1.

  3. Official

    prescribed, confirmed, directed, lawful; see approved, legal 1.

  4. In or requiring evening clothes

    full-dress, black tie, white tie, dressy, dressed up, ceremonious, social, in tails and top hat, in one's glad rags*, in a soup and fish*.

formal Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • qualification: Coming from an inner city area of Bradford, Mohammed left school with no formal qualifications.
  • complaint: His belief the decision had been taken inappropriately formed the basis of his second formal complaint.
  • examination: Assessment is spread throughout the course, and there are no formal examinations.
  • procedure: For these cases there is a formal procedure that may be invoked.
  • approval: They receive regular feedback and verify the data prior to formal approval.
  • agreement: A formal legal agreement should be entered into with the telecommunications company.

Modifying Another Word

  • purely: It is a consciousness whose problems are purely formal or technical, with precisely definable solutions.
  • fairly: Business: Business is conducted in a fairly formal manner and a smart appearance is important.
  • rather: Such Lagrangians, and their accompanying equations, can seem rather formal.
  • relatively: The process can be very informal or relatively formal depending on the state of the application and the relationships established between the participants.
  • highly: Much could be said about how programming languages, which are highly formal, work to propitiate desire.
  • quite: Business: Austrians are quite formal in their business dealings.

Used with adjective complement

  • have: Most professional bodies have formal CPD schemes in place.
  • use: In specifying the conceptual schema you can use formal looking statements and diagrams, such as in Figure 6.1.
  • seem: Such Lagrangians, and their accompanying equations, can seem rather formal.
  • seek: Any firm seeking formal SII accreditation of its existing CPD scheme needs to go through the three stages of the application process.
  • remain: Pressure of student numbers has helped to ensure that teaching methods remain formal.
  • write: The written English children used would have been say writing formal thank you letters for Christmas presents and passing cryptic notes around the classroom.