Formal Adjective ˈfɔːml ˈfɔːrml Ladies Evening Wear Dinner

• ladies in formal evening wear
• the dinner was a formal affair.
• he kept the tone of the letter formal and businesslike.
• his manner was stiffly formal.

formal

1. very correct and suitable for official or important occasions
• OPPOSITE informal
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/informal
• ladies in formal evening wear
• The dinner was a formal affair.
• He kept the tone of the letter formal and businesslike.
• His manner was stiffly formal.

Extra Examples

• Her words sounded oddly formal.
• The greeting was polite, almost formal.
• He insisted on formal dress for dinner.
• Howard has a rather formal way of speaking.
• In those days, tutors were formal and distant.
• She has a very formal manner, which can seem unfriendly.
2. official; following an agreed or official way of doing things
• formal legal processes
• to make a formal complaint
• There has been no formal announcement of her resignation yet.
• There followed a formal request for military aid.
• Formal diplomatic relations between the two countries were re-established in December.
• It is time to put these arrangements on a slightly more formal basis.

Extra Examples

• On receipt of a formal complaint the inspectorate is required to investigate.
• Once the loan has been approved we'll send a formal agreement for you to sign.
• The government has lodged a formal diplomatic protest about the decision.
• The organization is not a formal political party.
• The two governments announced their formal acceptance of the scheme.
3. received in a school, college or university, with lessons, exams, etc., rather than gained just through practical experience
• He has no formal teaching qualifications.
• Young children are beginning their formal education as early as four years old.
• Inness received little formal artistic training.
4. connected with the way something is done rather than what is done
• Getting approval for the plan is a purely formal matter; nobody will seriously oppose it.
• The monarch retains largely formal duties.
• Critics have concentrated too much on the formal elements of her poetry, without really looking at what it is saying.
5. arranged in a regular manner, according to a clear, exact plan
• delightful formal gardens, with terraced lawns and an avenue of trees
• Large French doors on the first floor open out onto a formal garden.

Word Origin

• late Middle English: from Latin formalis, from forma ‘shape, mould’.