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
1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English formal, formel, from Latin fōrmālis. See form, -al1
SYNONYMS FOR formal
5 conforming, conformist.
6 punctilious.
8 official.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR formal ON THESAURUS.COM
synonym study for formal
1, 2, 5, 6. 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.
OTHER WORDS FROM formal
for·mal·ness,noun
Words nearby formal
forlorn hope, for love or money, form, formability, Formad's kidney, formal, formal cause, formaldehyde, formal equivalence, formalin, formalin pigment
Broadly, the war is between the formal linguists and the sociolinguists.
Talking Is Throwing Fictional Worlds at One Another - Issue 89: The Dark Side|Kevin Berger|September 9, 2020|Nautilus
Taking place after the 400-person formal dinner, it’s geared specifically toward younger people and costs less than one-third of the spring benefit’s entry-level ticket.
How nonprofits are catering to millennials and rethinking the charity gala for younger generations|Rachel King|September 7, 2020|Fortune
No surprise, there’s been a trend away from formal event–oriented wear, but other than that there hasn’t been much change.
The CEO striving to make vintage, secondhand clothing as popular as fast fashion|Rachel King|September 6, 2020|Fortune
Those interactions are less formal than what you get with video-conferencing services.
Teemyco creates virtual offices so you can grab a room and talk with colleagues|Romain Dillet|September 4, 2020|TechCrunch
It’s not as formal as perhaps a medical leave of absence where a third party is approving a leave request.
How managers can recognize burnout remotely|Kristine Gill|August 28, 2020|Fortune
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.
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)
formal1
/ (ˈfɔːməl) /
adjective
of, according to, or following established or prescribed forms, conventions, etca formal document
characterized by observation of conventional forms of ceremony, behaviour, dress, etca formal dinner
methodical, precise, or stiff
suitable for occasions organized according to conventional ceremonyformal dress
denoting or characterized by idiom, vocabulary, etc, used by educated speakers and writers of a language
acquired by study in academic institutionsa formal education
regular or symmetrical in forma formal garden
of or relating to the appearance, form, etc, of something as distinguished from its substance
logically deductiveformal 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, etcin French the pronoun ``vous'' is formal, while ``tu'' is informal
Derived forms of formal
formally, adverbformalness, noun
Word Origin for formal
C14: from Latin formālis
British Dictionary definitions for formal (2 of 2)