formal

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for·mal

(fôr′məl)

adj.

a. Relating to or involving outward form or structure, often in contrast to content or meaning.

b. Being or relating to essential form or constitution: a formal principle.

2. Following or being in accord with accepted or prescribed forms, conventions, or regulations: had little formal education; went to a formal party.

a. Characterized by strict or meticulous observation of forms; methodical: very formal in their business transactions.

b. Stiffly ceremonious: a formal greeting.

4. Characterized by technical or polysyllabic vocabulary, complex sentence structure, and explicit transitions; not colloquial or informal: formal discourse.

5. Having the outward appearance but lacking in substance: a formal requirement that is usually ignored.

Something, such as a gown or social affair, that is formal in nature.

[Middle English, from Latin fōrmālis, from fōrma, shape.]

for′mal·ly adv.

for′mal·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

formal

(ˈfɔːməl)

adj

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

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

3. methodical, precise, or stiff

4. (Clothing & Fashion) suitable for occasions organized according to conventional ceremony: formal dress.

5. (Linguistics) denoting or characterized by idiom, vocabulary, etc, used by educated speakers and writers of a language

6. (Education) acquired by study in academic institutions: a formal education.

7. regular or symmetrical in form: a formal garden.

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

9. (Logic) logically deductive: formal proof.

10. (Philosophy) philosophy

a. of or relating to form as opposed to matter or content

b. pertaining to the essence or nature of something: formal cause.

c. (in the writings of Descartes) pertaining to the correspondence between an image or idea and its object

d. being in the formal mode

11. (Grammar) 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.

[C14: from Latin formālis]

ˈformally adv

ˈformalness n

formal

(ˈfɔːmæl)

(Elements & Compounds) another name for methylal

[C19: from form(ic) + -al³]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

for•mal

(ˈfɔr məl)

adj.

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

2. marked by form or ceremony: a formal occasion.

3. designed for wear or use at elaborate ceremonial or social events: The invitation specified formal attire.

4. requiring dress suitable for elaborate social events: a formal dance.

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

6. excessively ceremonious; prim; decorous.

7. being a matter of form only; perfunctory: formal courtesy.

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

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

10. acquired in school; academic.

11. symmetrical or highly organized: a formal garden.

12. of or pertaining to language use typical of impersonal and official situations, characterized by adherence to traditional standards of correctness, often complex vocabulary and syntax, and the avoidance of contractions and colloquial expressions.

13. pertaining to the form, shape, or mode of a thing, esp. as distinguished from the substance: formal writing.

14. being such merely in appearance or name; nominal: a formal head of state.

15. Math.

a. (of a proof) in strict logical form with a justification for every step.

b. (of a calculation) correct in form; made with strict justification for every step.

16. a dance or ball that requires formal attire.

17. an evening gown.

adv.

18. in formal attire.

[1350–1400; Middle English < Latin]

for′mal•ly, adv.

for′mal•ness, n.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	formal - a lavish dance requiring formal attire ball dance - a party for social dancing cotilion, cotillion - a ball at which young ladies are presented to society fancy-dress ball, masked ball, masquerade ball - a ball at which guests wear costumes and masks prom, promenade - a formal ball held for a school class toward the end of the academic year
	2.	formal - a gown for evening wear dinner dress, dinner gown, evening gown evening clothes, evening dress, eveningwear, formalwear - attire to wear on formal occasions in the evening gown - a woman's dress, usually with a close-fitting bodice and a long flared skirt, often worn on formal occasions
Adj.	1.	formal - being in accord with established forms and conventions and requirements (as e.g. of formal dress); "pay one's formal respects"; "formal dress"; "a formal ball"; "the requirement was only formal and often ignored"; "a formal education" conventional - following accepted customs and proprieties; "conventional wisdom"; "she had strayed from the path of conventional behavior"; "conventional forms of address" formal - (of spoken and written language) adhering to traditional standards of correctness and without casual, contracted, and colloquial forms; "the paper was written in formal English" informal - not formal; "conservative people unaccustomed to informal dress"; "an informal free-and-easy manner"; "an informal gathering of friends"
	2.	formal - characteristic of or befitting a person in authority; "formal duties"; "an official banquet" official - having official authority or sanction; "official permission"; "an official representative"
	3.	formal - (of spoken and written language) adhering to traditional standards of correctness and without casual, contracted, and colloquial forms; "the paper was written in formal English" formal - being in accord with established forms and conventions and requirements (as e.g. of formal dress); "pay one's formal respects"; "formal dress"; "a formal ball"; "the requirement was only formal and often ignored"; "a formal education" rhetorical - given to rhetoric, emphasizing style at the expense of thought; "mere rhetorical frippery" informal - used of spoken and written language
	4.	formal - represented in simplified or symbolic form schematic, conventional beaux arts, fine arts - the study and creation of visual works of art nonrepresentational - of or relating to a style of art in which objects do not resemble those known in physical nature
	5.	formal - logically deductive; "formal proof" logical - capable of or reflecting the capability for correct and valid reasoning; "a logical mind"
	6.	formal - refined or imposing in manner or appearance; befitting a royal court; "a courtly gentleman" courtly, stately dignified - having or expressing dignity; especially formality or stateliness in bearing or appearance; "her dignified demeanor"; "the director of the school was a dignified white-haired gentleman"

formal

adjective

1. serious, stiff, detached, aloof, official, reserved, correct, conventional, remote, exact, precise, starched, prim, unbending, punctilious, ceremonious He wrote a very formal letter of apology.
serious relaxed, casual, informal, unofficial, laid-back (informal), easy-going, unceremonious

2. official, express, explicit, authorized, set, legal, fixed, regular, approved, strict, endorsed, prescribed, rigid, certified, solemn, lawful, methodical, pro forma (Latin) No formal announcement has been made.

3. ceremonial, traditional, solemn, ritualistic, dressy They arranged a formal dinner after the play.

4. learned, intellectual, literary, scholarly, highbrow an elevated and formal style

5. conventional, established, traditional He didn't have any formal dance training.

6. arranged, regular, symmetrical a formal herb garden

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

formal

adjective

1. Fond of or given to ceremony:

ceremonious, conventional, courtly, punctilious.

2. Of or characterized by ceremony:

ceremonial, ceremonious, liturgical, ritual, ritualistic.

3. Requiring elegant clothes and fine manners:

dressy, full-dress.

Translations

رَسْميرَسْمي، ذو شَكْل ثابِترَسْمِيّ

formálnígeometrickýobřadnýspolečenskýsymetrický

formelformeltkorrektstiv

formell förmlich konventionell offiziell steif

επίσημος

formal oficial regular solemne correcto

muodollinenvirallinenformaalijuhlallinenkaavamainen

formel officiel soigné classique compassé

formalanslužbenceremonijalan

formálisudvariassági

formlegurformlegur, hátíîlegur; samkvæmis-formlegur, háttfasturformlegur, stífurreglulegur

formale regolare ufficiale

正式の

형식적인

formalumasgeometriškai išplanuotasknyginisoficialiaioficialumas

formālsoficiālsregulārssimetrisks

formeel

fest-formell galla stiv

formalny

formal

формальный

formálnyskostnatený

uraden

formell

เป็นทางการ

belli biçimliciddîmuntazam resmi

trịnh trọng

正式的礼仪上的规范化的合礼仪的布置得很整齐的

formal

[ˈfɔːməl] ADJ [person] (= correct) → correcto; (= reliable, stiff) → formal; (= solemn) [greeting, language, occasion, announcement] → solemne; [dress] → de etiqueta; [visit] → de cumplido (Pol) [visit] → oficial; [function] → protocolario; [garden] → simétrico; (= official) [evidence] → documental; [acceptance] → por escrito
in English, "residence" is a formal term → en inglés, "residence" es un término formal
don't be so formal! → ¡no te andes con tantos cumplidos!
there was no formal agreement → no había un acuerdo en firme
formal clothes → ropa f de etiqueta
a formal dinner → una cena de gala
he has no formal education → no tiene formación académica
formal training → formación f profesional

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

formal

[ˈfɔː^rm^əl] adj

[language] → soutenu(e)
In English, "residence" is a formal term → En anglais, "residence" est un terme soutenu.

[letter] → formel(le)

[behaviour] → cérémonieux/euse

[style] → soutenu(e)
formal garden → jardin m à la française

[person] → cérémonieux/euse, à cheval sur les convenances

[dinner] → officiel(le)
a formal dinner → un dîner officiel

(= smart) [occasion, party] → habillé(e)
formal clothes → une tenue habillée

[offer, receipt] → en bonne et due forme; [announcement] → officiel(le); [approval] → officiel(le)

(ART, PHILOSOPHY) → formel(le)

He's got no formal education → Il n'a pas fait beaucoup d'études.

formal

adj

person, letter, relationship, behaviour, language → formell, förmlich; (= official) talks, statement, complaint, agreement, request → formell, offiziell; (= ceremonial) occasion, reception → feierlich; he made them a formal bow → er verbeugte sich formell or feierlich vor ihnen; to make a formal apology → sich in aller Form entschuldigen; the dinner was very formal → das Abendessen war sehr formell; formal affair or occasion → formeller or feierlicher Anlass; on formal occasions → bei formellen or feierlichen Anlässen; formal clothes or dress (for smart occasions) → Gesellschaftskleidung f; (for work) → formelle Kleidung; in formal dress → formell gekleidet

(= ordered) style, approach → formal; (= severe) → streng; (in design) garden, borders, square → regelmäßig angelegt; room → formal eingerichtet; formal gardens → formal angelegte Gartenanlagen pl

(= proper) education, training → ordentlich; qualifications → offiziell

(= relating to form) logic, perfection, complexity, defect → formal

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

formal

[ˈfɔːm/əl] adj (gen) → formale; (person) → cerimonioso/a; (official, visit, offer, acceptance) → ufficiale
there was no formal agreement → non c'era un contratto formale
formal garden → giardino all'italiana
formal training → preparazione f specifica

formal

(ˈfoːməl) adjective

1. done etc according to a fixed and accepted way. a formal letter.

2. suitable or correct for occasions when things are done according to a fixed and accepted way. You must wear formal dress.

3. (of behaviour, attitude etc) not relaxed and friendly. formal behaviour.

4. (of language) exactly correct by grammatical etc rules but not conversational. Her English was very formal.

5. (of designs etc) precise and following a fixed pattern rather than occuring naturally. formal gardens.

ˈformally adverb

forˈmality (-ˈmӕ-) noun

1. something which is done for appearance but has little meaning. The chairman's speech was only a formality.

2. unrelaxed correctness of behaviour. His formality made him appear unfriendly.

formal

→ رَسْمِيّ formální formel formell επίσημος formal muodollinen formel formalan formale 正式の 형식적인 formeel formell formalny formal формальный formell เป็นทางการ resmi trịnh trọng 正式的

References in classic literature ?

Then the criminal orders meat and drink to be brought out, they eat and drink together, he asks a formal pardon, which is not granted at first; however, the husband forgives first one part of the debt, and then another, till at length the whole is remitted.

View in context

I have lived, for many years past, in this gentleman's service as house-keeper; and not having received my formal dismissal, I consider myself in his service still.

View in context

Finally, there is the formal problem of defining truth and falsehood, and deriving the objective reference of a proposition from the meanings of its component words.

View in context

A sentinel at each end of the bridge stood with his rifle in the position known as "support," that is to say, vertical in front of the left shoulder, the hammer resting on the forearm thrown straight across the chest -- a formal and unnatural position, enforcing an erect carriage of the body.

View in context

Did he not have enough to think about to keep the gardens so that his royal master and mistress might find pleasure in the shaded walks, the well-kept sward, and the gorgeous beds of foliage plants and blooming flowers which he set with such wondrous precision in the formal garden?

View in context

just old enough to be formal, ungovernable, and to have the gout; too old to be agreeable, too young to die.

View in context

In England alone, the incomprehensible and discourteous custom prevails of keeping the host and the dinner waiting for half an hour or more--without any assignable reason and without any better excuse than the purely formal apology that is implied in the words, "Sorry to be late."

View in context

"Yes, we are too formal here," she said, as it were apologizing for her magnificence.

View in context

Having disposed of this temperate refreshment, she arose from her stool, tied her papers into a formal packet with red tape, and taking them under her arm, marched out of the office.

View in context

But I have all this time left the reader without any formal descriptive introduction to this whimsical young lady angler.

View in context

Let us now discuss Tragedy, resuming its formal definition, as resulting from what has been already said.

View in context

So in the same way Moscow was empty when Napoleon, weary, uneasy, and morose, paced up and down in front of the Kammer-Kollezski rampart, awaiting what to his mind was a necessary, if but formal, observance of the proprieties- a deputation.