informaladjective
uk/ɪnˈfɔː.məl/us/ɪnˈfɔːr.məl/B2 (of situations) not formal or official, or (of clothing, behaviour, speech) suitable when you are with friends and family but not for official occasions:
The two groups agreed to hold an informal meeting.
He's the ideal sort of teacher - direct, friendly, and informal.
"Hi" is an informal way of greeting people.
More examples
- What was once an informal event has now become institutionalized.
- People chatting at a party will usually be talking in an informal register.
- Many informal expressions are gaining currency in serious newspapers.
- The party itself was a fairly informal affair.
- They started as informal gatherings but they have become increasingly formalized in the last few years.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Manners & levels of formality
- buttoned-down
- ceremonial
- ceremonious
- ceremony
- decency
- formal
- formally
- genteel
- gentility
- grace
- ground rules
- impropriety
- propriety
- pukka
- refinement
- solemnity
- stand on ceremony idiom
- stiff
- stiffly
- valediction
See more results »
informally
adverb uk/ɪnˈfɔː.mə.li/us/ɪnˈfɔːr.mə.li/
C1
It's an outdoor party, so dress informally.
They've agreed informally to separate.
informality
noun [ U ] uk/ˌɪn.fɔːˈmæl.ə.ti/us/ˌɪn.fɔːrˈmæl.ə.t̬i/