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formals - 4 dictionary results
for⋅mal
1
[fawr-muh
l] 
–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, esp. 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.
|
| 16. | Logic. formal logic. |
| 17. | pertaining to the form, shape, or mode of a thing, esp. 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.
|
–noun
| 20. | a dance, ball, or other social occasion that requires formalwear. |
| 21. | an evening gown. |
–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.
meth⋅yl⋅al
[meth-uh-lal, meth-uh-lal] –noun Chemistry.
| a colorless, flammable, volatile liquid, C3H8O2, having a chloroformlike odor, used chiefly as a solvent, in perfumery, and in organic synthesis. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source
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Link To formals
| for·mal (fôr'məl) adj.
[Middle English, from Latin fōrmālis, from fōrma, shape.] for'mal·ly adv., for'mal·ness n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
