Definitions for formal
ˈfɔr məlfor·mal

Princeton's WordNet(2.31 / 10 votes)Rate this definition:

1. ball, formalnoun

   a lavish dance requiring formal attire

2. dinner dress, dinner gown, formal, evening gownadjective

   a gown for evening wear

3. formaladjective

   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"

4. formaladjective

   characteristic of or befitting a person in authority

   "formal duties"; "an official banquet"

5. formaladjective

   (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"

6. conventional, formal, schematicadjective

   represented in simplified or symbolic form

7. formaladjective

   logically deductive

   "formal proof"

8. courtly, formal, statelyadjective

   refined or imposing in manner or appearance; befitting a royal court

   "a courtly gentleman"

Wiktionary(1.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. formalnoun

   formalin

   Etymology: From formel, from formel, from formalis, from forma; see form.

2. formalnoun

   an evening gown

   Etymology: From formel, from formel, from formalis, from forma; see form.

3. formalnoun

   an event with a formal dress code

   Jenny took Sam to her Year 12 formal.

   Etymology: From formel, from formel, from formalis, from forma; see form.

4. formaladjective

   being in accord with established forms

   Etymology: From formel, from formel, from formalis, from forma; see form.

5. formaladjective

   official

   Etymology: From formel, from formel, from formalis, from forma; see form.

6. formaladjective

   relating to the form or structure of something

   Etymology: From formel, from formel, from formalis, from forma; see form.

7. formaladjective

   ceremonial

   Etymology: From formel, from formel, from formalis, from forma; see form.

8. formaladjective

   Organized; well-structured and planned.

   Etymology: From formel, from formel, from formalis, from forma; see form.

Webster Dictionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Formalnoun

   see Methylal

   Etymology: [L. formic + alcohol.]

2. Formaladjective

   belonging to the form, shape, frame, external appearance, or organization of a thing

   Etymology: [L. formic + alcohol.]

3. Formaladjective

   belonging to the constitution of a thing, as distinguished from the matter composing it; having the power of making a thing what it is; constituent; essential; pertaining to or depending on the forms, so called, of the human intellect

   Etymology: [L. formic + alcohol.]

4. Formaladjective

   done in due form, or with solemnity; according to regular method; not incidental, sudden or irregular; express; as, he gave his formal consent

   Etymology: [L. formic + alcohol.]

5. Formaladjective

   devoted to, or done in accordance with, forms or rules; punctilious; regular; orderly; methodical; of a prescribed form; exact; prim; stiff; ceremonious; as, a man formal in his dress, his gait, his conversation

   Etymology: [L. formic + alcohol.]

6. Formaladjective

   having the form or appearance without the substance or essence; external; as, formal duty; formal worship; formal courtesy, etc

   Etymology: [L. formic + alcohol.]

7. Formaladjective

   dependent in form; conventional

   Etymology: [L. formic + alcohol.]

8. Formaladjective

   sound; normal

   Etymology: [L. formic + alcohol.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Formal

   Formal Hall or Formal Meal is the meal held at some of the oldest, universities in the United Kingdom and Ireland at which students dress in formal attire and often gowns to dine. These are held commonly in the colleges of, for examples, Oxford, Cambridge, Dublin, Durham and St Andrews, as well as the University of London, the University of Melbourne, the University of Sydney, and Trinity College, Toronto. In a number of red brick universities, some halls such as those in at Manchester, Bristol and Exeter also practise similar traditions in order to increase interaction between academics and students, and to enrich the students' overall learning experience. The nature of Formals varies widely between the colleges and halls that hold them. In some colleges, Formals may be held every night, and are simply a second sitting of hall at which gowns are worn and grace is read. In other colleges, Formals may be special events to which guests from outside the college are frequently invited, often with themes and associated ents or "bops". In between these two extremes fall the great majority of colleges.

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. formal

   A form of official authority.

   Formal authority is required for certain things in life like building a new build house.

   Submitted by MaryC on January 5, 2015  

Matched Categories

1. • Dance
   • Fine Arts

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'formal' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1597

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'formal' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2780

3. Adjectives Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'formal' in Adjectives Frequency: #199

How to pronounce formal?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say formal in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of formal in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of formal in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of formal in a Sentence

1. Valdis Dombrovskis:

   The IMF is on board as concerns program conditionality, we know that IMF has its own program, but we do not expect a formal decision on this today.

2. Richard Blumenthal:

   Rejecting this agreement is fraught with unacceptable risk. Our formal negotiation partners and allies have signaled clearly that they are not coming back to the table -- a point confirmed in my conversations and meetings. There is no better deal available now.

3. Bryanna Reid:

   Life is beyond the formal logic. For this reason it's not surprising that women who intuitively perceive the world seem illogical to us.

4. The Hill:

   She’s notified Gov.Newsom, and has sent her formal indication that she will be resigning. And then she will make a formal announcement on Monday.

5. Tom Perez:

   Sometimes when you're in a less formal setting, it's conducive to letting your guard down a little bit and I had found that to be the case in a number of knotty situations.

Images & Illustrations of formal

Popularity rank by frequency of use