formal
Use Formal in a sentence
məl adjective
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 occasions or events marked by elaborate ceremony or prescribed social observance: The formal attire included tuxedos and full-length gowns.
4.
requiring a type of dress suitable for such occasions: a formal dance.
5.
observant of conventional requirements of behavior, procedure, etc., as persons; ceremonious.
6.
excessively ceremonious: a manner that was formal and austere.
7.
being a matter of form only; perfunctory: We expected more than just 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: a formal approach to painting; the formal structure of a poem.
10.
being in accordance with prescribed or customary forms: a formal siege.
11.
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.
12.
acquired in school; academic: He had little formal training in economics.
13.
symmetrical or highly organized: a formal garden.
14.
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.
15.
Philosophy.
a.
pertaining to form.
b.
Aristotelianism. not material; essential.
16.
Logic. formal logic.
17.
pertaining to the form, shape, or mode of a thing, especially as distinguished from the substance: formal writing, bereft of all personality.
18.
being such merely in appearance or name; nominal: a formal head of the government having no actual powers.
19.
Mathematics.
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.
c.
(of a calculation, derivation, representation, or the like) of or pertaining to manipulation of symbols without regard to their meaning.
00:10
Formal
is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
adverb
22.
in formal attire: We're supposed to go formal.
Related forms
for·mal·ness, noun
Synonyms
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.
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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To formal
Collins
World English Dictionary
formal1 (ˈfɔːməl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —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. | suitable for occasions organized according to conventional ceremony: formal dress |
| 5. | denoting or characterized by idiom, vocabulary, etc, used by educated speakers and writers of a language |
| 6. | 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. | logically deductive: formal proof |
| 10. | 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. | 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] | |
| 'formally1 | |
| —adv | |
| 'formalness1 | |
| —n | |
| formal2 (ˈfɔːmæl) | |
| —n | |
| another name for methylal | |
| [C19: from | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
formal
late 14c., from L. formalis, from forma (see form). As a noun, short for formal dance, first recorded 1946.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Cite This Source
FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary
FORMAL definition
1. FORmula MAnipulation Language.
An early Fortran extension for symbolic mathematics.
["FORMAL, A Formula Manipulation Language", C.K. Mesztenyi, Computer Note CN-1, CS Dept, U Maryland (Jan 1971)].
2. A data manipulation language for nonprogrammers from IBM LASC.
["FORMAL: A Forms-Oriented and Visual-Directed Application System", N.C. Shu, IEEE Computer 18(8):38-49 (1985)].
(1994-12-06)
Example sentences
Without advanced degrees or formal career paths, poets were recognized as special creatures.
But it demonstrates clearly, the formal approach in theoretical physics reached its technical limits.
Their parents, while articulate and concerned, lack formal education or economic resources.
Rigid in respect of the upper lip, he sticks to a stern routine of exercises and always dresses in formal attire for dinner.
Nearby Words
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