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| for·mal [ fáwrm'l ] |
adjective |
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| Definition: |
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1. official: done or carried out in accordance with established or prescribed rules
  We made a formal protest.
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2. conventionally correct: characterized by or organized in accordance with conventions governing ceremony, behavior, or dress
He's terribly formal and always calls me Mr. Day.
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3. methodical: done in an organized and precise manner
formal research in artificial intelligence
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4. not familiar in style: used in serious, official, or public communication but not appropriate in everyday contexts
a formal word
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5. dress elegant to wear: suitable to wear for an important occasion, e.g. a tuxedo for men and a full-length dress for women
formal dress required
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6. education acquired in school or college: undertaken or acquired by study in an educational institution
no formal training as a journalist
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7. ordered: arranged or laid out in a regular, ordered, or symmetrical way
a formal garden
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8. of form or structure: relating to the form or structure of something
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9. officially constituted: officially constituted or organized as opposed to spontaneously developed
a formal organization
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10. logic mathematics symbolic: relating to or using symbols and abstract structures rather than natural language
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11. philosophy of essence rather than content: relating to the structure or essence of something rather than its content
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noun (plural for·mals) |
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| Definition: |
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1. important occasion: an important social or ceremonial occasion
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2. special clothes: an outfit of clothing for an important social occasion, especially a woman's full-length dress
a new formal for the prom
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| [14th century. < Latin formalis< forma "mold, shape, beauty"] |
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| for·mal·ly adverb |
| for·mal·ness noun |
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