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Dictionary:

formal

  (fôr'məl) pronunciation
adj.
    1. Relating to or involving outward form or structure.
    2. Being or relating to essential form or constitution: a formal principle.
    1. Following or being in accord with accepted forms, conventions, or regulations: had little formal education; went to a formal party.
    2. Executed, carried out, or done in proper or regular form: a formal reprimand; a formal document.
    1. Characterized by strict or meticulous observation of forms; methodical: very formal in their business transactions.
    2. Stiffly ceremonious: a formal manner; a formal greeting; a formal bow to the monarch.
  1. Having the outward appearance but lacking in substance: a formal requirement that is usually ignored.
n.

Something, such as a gown or social affair, that is formal in nature.

[Middle English, from Latin fōrmālis, from fōrma, shape.]

formally for'mal·ly adv.
formalness for'mal·ness n.
 
 
Thesaurus: formal

adjective

  1. Fond of or given to ceremony: ceremonious, conventional, courtly, punctilious. See courtesy/discourtesy.
  2. Of or characterized by ceremony: ceremonial, ceremonious, liturgical, ritual, ritualistic. See ritual.
  3. Requiring elegant clothes and fine manners: dressy, full-dress. See plain/fancy.

 
Antonyms: formal

adj

Definition: established, orderly
Antonyms: casual, disorderly, informal, nonformal, relaxed, unofficial

adj

Definition: stiff, affected, correct, precise
Antonyms: casual, customary, informal, normal, relaxed, unaffected


 
Word Tutor: formal
pronunciation

IN BRIEF: Relating to an event requiring elegant dress and manners.

pronunciation Of all formal things in the world, a clipped hedge is the most formal. — Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887).

 
Wikipedia: formal (disambiguation)


The term formal has a number of uses, including:

General

Social

Philosophical

  • relating to form, i.e. appearance rather than essence.
    • relating to Formalism, i.e. emphasis on form over content or meaning.
  • formal logic logical argument based only on the form and not on the meaning.
  • Formal cause, Aristotle's intrinsic, determining cause.

Mathematics

  • formal power series, a generalization of power series without requiring convergence, used in combinatorics;
  • formal calculation, a calculation which is systematic, but without a rigorous justification;
  • formal set theory as opposed to naive set theory;
  • formal derivative, an operation on elements of a polynomial ring which mimics the form of the derivative from calculus.

Logic and Language

  • formal system, an abstract means of generating inferences in a formal language;
    • formal language, comprising the symbolic "words" or "sentences" of a formal system;
    • formal proof, a fully rigorous proof as is possible only in a formal system.

Computer science

See also the Language section of Mathematics, above

Linguistic

See also the Language section of Mathematics, above

Chemical

See also


 
Translations: Translations for: Formal

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - formel, højtidelig
n. - bal hvor deltagerne er i galla, aftenkjole

Nederlands (Dutch)
formeel, vormelijk, (alleen het) uiterlijk, betreffende de essentie, molair (chemie), formeel iets (b.v. kleding)

Français (French)
adj. - officiel, soutenu (un style), solennel, cérémonieux, guindé, reconnu, professionnel, (Littérat, Art) formel
n. - traditionnel (un enseignement), tenue de soirée, bal de cérémonie

Deutsch (German)
adj. - förmlich, steif, formell
n. - (AmE)(ugs.) Abendkleid

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - τυπικός, εθιμοτυπικός, επίσημος, κανονικός, σύμφωνος με τα συμβατικά πρότυπα, καθιερωμένος

Italiano (Italian)
formale, cerimonioso

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - formal

Русский (Russian)
формальный, официальный, для проформы, церемонный

Español (Spanish)
adj. - formal, protocolario, ceremonioso, solemne
n. - baile de gala, vestido de etiqueta

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - formell, formlig, högtidlig, stel, geometrisk, sken-

中文(简体) (Chinese (Simplified))
正式的, 礼仪的, 形式的, 正式的社交活动, 夜礼服

中文(繁體) (Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 正式的, 禮儀的, 形式的
n. - 正式的社交活動, 晚禮服

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 형식적인, 표면적인, 예절의, 모양의
n. - 정식 무도회, 야회복

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 正式の, 儀礼的な, 形式ばった, 堅苦しい, 形式の, 形式上の, 形ばかりの

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) شكلي , رسمي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮רשמי, פורמאלי, חיצוני, טקסי, קפדני, סימטרי, צורתי, צורני‬
n. - ‮שמלת ערב, אירוע שלובשים לכבודו שמלת ערב‬


 
Best of the Web: formal

Some good "formal" pages on the web:


American Sign Language
commtechlab.msu.edu
 
 
 

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Answers Corporation Antonyms. © 1999-2008 by Answers Corporation. All rights reserved.  Read more
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Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Formal" Read more
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