formal

[ fawr-muh l ]

/ ˈfɔr məl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR formal ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

being in accordance with the usual requirements, customs, etc.; conventional: to pay one's formal respects.

marked by form or ceremony: a formal occasion.

designed for wear or use at occasions or events marked by elaborate ceremony or prescribed social observance: The formal attire included tuxedos and full-length gowns.

requiring a type of dress suitable for such occasions: a formal dance.

observant of conventional requirements of behavior, procedure, etc., as persons; ceremonious.

excessively ceremonious: a manner that was formal and austere.

being a matter of form only; perfunctory: We expected more than just formal courtesy.

made or done in accordance with procedures that ensure validity: a formal authorization.

of, relating to, or emphasizing the organization or composition of the constituent elements in a work of art perceived separately from its subject matter: a formal approach to painting; the formal structure of a poem.

being in accordance with prescribed or customary forms: a formal siege.

Theater. (of a stage setting) generalized and simplified in design, especially of architectural elements, and serving as a permanent set for a play irrespective of changes in location.

acquired in school; academic: He had little formal training in economics.

symmetrical or highly organized: a formal garden.

of, reflecting, or noting a usage of language in which syntax, pronunciation, etc., adhere to traditional standards of correctness and usage is characterized by the absence of casual, contracted, and colloquial forms: The paper was written in formal English.

Philosophy.

pertaining to form.
Aristotelianism. not material; essential.

Logic. formal logic.

pertaining to the form, shape, or mode of a thing, especially as distinguished from the substance: formal writing, bereft of all personality.

being such merely in appearance or name; nominal: a formal head of the government having no actual powers.

Mathematics.

(of a proof) in strict logical form with a justification for every step.
(of a calculation) correct in form; made with strict justification for every step.
(of a calculation, derivation, representation, or the like) of or relating to manipulation of symbols without regard to their meaning.

noun

a dance, ball, or other social occasion that requires formalwear.

an evening gown.

adverb

in formal attire: We're supposed to go formal.

Origin of formal

1350–1400; Middle English formal, formel < Latin fōrmālis. See form, -al¹

SYNONYMS FOR formal

2 Formal, academic, conventional may have either favorable or unfavorable implications. Formal may mean in proper form, or may imply excessive emphasis on empty form. In the favorable sense, academic applies to scholars or higher institutions of learning; it may, however, imply slavish conformance to mere rules, or to belief in impractical theories. Conventional, in a favorable sense, applies to desirable conformity with accepted conventions or customs; but it more often is applied to arbitrary, forced, or meaningless conformity.

5 conforming, conformist.

6 punctilious.

8 official.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR formal ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM formal

for·mal·ness, noun

Words nearby formal

form letter, form stop, form word, formability, formad's kidney, formal, formal cause, formal equivalence, formal language, formal logic, formal mode

Definition for formal (2 of 2)

formal ²

[ fawr-mal ]

/ ˈfɔr mæl /

noun Chemistry.

methylal.

Origin of formal

First recorded in 1895–1900; from formaldehyde

Example sentences from the Web for formal

He hoped also to be a chaplain through his local church, and he was nearing the end of his formal training.

In The Shadow of Murdered Cops |Michael Daly |December 26, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
“The psychology of BDSM is lacking in other formal training regiments and interactions,” added Stella.

Dungeons and Genital Clamps: Inside a Legendary BDSM Chateau |Ian Frisch |December 20, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
“To my knowledge, there was no formal consultation done with the tribes on this policy,” says Eid.

Tribes to U.S. Government: Take Your Weed and Shove It |Abby Haglage |December 13, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
By late Jan. 2003, Tenet had signed the first formal guidelines for interrogation and confinement.

Inside the CIA’s Sadistic Dungeon |Tim Mak |December 9, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

When Jackson found out about this campaign against him a year later, he made a formal request that every charge be investigated.

Stonewall Jackson, VMI’s Most Embattled Professor |S. C. Gwynne |November 29, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
It commands with absolute lordship, but it can discipline for disobedience only by slow and formal judicial process.

Congressional Government |Woodrow Wilson
But is it not known by those who look closely upon the world that there is nothing so tragic as the formal?

Cumner & South Sea Folk, Complete |Gilbert Parker
Formal mental instruction is still given to a large extent, and the older children are taught reading, writing and arithmetic.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 14, Slice 5 |Various
With Massoudy begins also the formal discussion of geographical problems affecting Islam.

Prince Henry the Navigator, the Hero of Portugal and of Modern Discovery, 1394-1460 A.D. |C. Raymond Beazley
Of formal dinner-givings there might easily have been an end, since the construction camp had nothing to offer in return.

A Fool For Love |Francis Lynde

British Dictionary definitions for formal (1 of 2)

formal ¹

/ (ˈfɔːməl) /

adjective

of, according to, or following established or prescribed forms, conventions, etc a formal document

characterized by observation of conventional forms of ceremony, behaviour, dress, etc a formal dinner

methodical, precise, or stiff

suitable for occasions organized according to conventional ceremony formal dress

denoting or characterized by idiom, vocabulary, etc, used by educated speakers and writers of a language

acquired by study in academic institutions a formal education

regular or symmetrical in form a formal garden

of or relating to the appearance, form, etc, of something as distinguished from its substance

logically deductive formal proof

philosophy

of or relating to form as opposed to matter or content
pertaining to the essence or nature of somethingformal cause
(in the writings of Descartes) pertaining to the correspondence between an image or idea and its object
being in the formal mode

denoting a second-person pronoun in some languages used when the addressee is a stranger, social superior, etc in French the pronoun ``vous'' is formal, while ``tu'' is informal

Derived forms of formal

formally, adverb formalness, noun

Word Origin for formal

C14: from Latin formālis

British Dictionary definitions for formal (2 of 2)

formal ²

/ (ˈfɔːmæl) /

noun

another name for methylal

Word Origin for formal

C19: from form ( ic) + -al ³

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

formal

adjective

noun

adverb

Origin of formal

SYNONYMS FOR formal

OTHER WORDS FROM formal

Words nearby formal

Definition for formal (2 of 2)

noun Chemistry.

Origin of formal

Example sentences from the Web for formal

British Dictionary definitions for formal (1 of 2)

adjective

Derived forms of formal

Word Origin for formal

British Dictionary definitions for formal (2 of 2)

noun

Word Origin for formal

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

formal

adjective

noun

adverb

Origin of formal

SYNONYMS FOR formal

OTHER WORDS FROM formal

Words nearby formal

Definition for formal (2 of 2)

noun Chemistry.

Origin of formal

Words related to formal

Example sentences from the Web for formal

British Dictionary definitions for formal (1 of 2)

adjective

Derived forms of formal

Word Origin for formal

British Dictionary definitions for formal (2 of 2)

noun

Word Origin for formal