formal: Meaning and Definition of

for•mal

Pronunciation: (fôr'mul), [key]
— 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 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. (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.
    1. pertaining to form.
    2. Aristotelianism.not material; essential.
  15. See
  16. pertaining to the form, shape, or mode of a thing, esp. as distinguished from the substance: formal writing, bereft of all personality.
  17. being such merely in appearance or name; nominal: a formal head of the government having no actual powers.
    1. (of a proof&hasp;) in strict logical form with a justification for every step.
    2. (of a calculation) correct in form; made with strict justification for every step.
    3. (of a calculation, derivation, representation, or the like) of or pertaining to manipulation of symbols without regard to their meaning.
—n.
  1. a dance, ball, or other social occasion that requires formalwear.
  2. an evening gown.
—adv.
  1. in formal attire: We're supposed to go formal.

for•mal

Pronunciation: (fôr'mal), [key]
— n. Chem.
  1. methylal.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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