formal
1
[ fawr-muh l ]
/ ˈfɔr məl /
adjective
noun
a dance, ball, or other social occasion that requires formalwear.
an evening gown.
adverb
in formal attire: We're supposed to go formal.
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.
OTHER WORDS FROM formal
for·mal·ness, nounWords nearby formal
Definition for formal (2 of 2)
Origin of formal
2
First recorded in 1895–1900; from
formaldehyde
Example sentences from the Web for formal
British Dictionary definitions for formal (1 of 2)
formal
1
/ (ˈfɔːməl) /
adjective
Derived forms of formal
formally, adverb formalness, nounWord Origin for formal
C14: from Latin
formālis
British Dictionary definitions for formal (2 of 2)
Word Origin for formal
C19: from
form (
ic) +
-al ³