formal

formal

adjective

Definition of FORMAL

1

following or agreeing with established form, custom, or rules <a formal meeting of the board of directors> <a formal contract that was legally binding>

Synonyms ceremonial, ceremonious, conventional, orthodox, regular, routine

Related Words authorized, certified, official, sanctioned; accepted, correct, decorous, genteel, nice, polite, proper, respectable, seemly; formalistic, ritual, ritualistic; methodical (also methodic), orderly, systematic

Near Antonyms unauthorized, unofficial; graceless, improper, inappropriate, incorrect, indecorous, inept, infelicitous, unapt, unbecoming, unfit, unhappy, unseemly, unsuitable

Antonyms casual, freewheeling, informal, irregular, unceremonious, unconventional, unorthodox

2

being something in name or form only <was the formal head of the charitable organization though he never attended a single meeting>

Synonyms formal, paper, titular

Related Words so-called; phantom, virtual; apparent, assumed, evident, ostensible, presumed, seeming, supposed

Near Antonyms actual, real, true

3

marked by or showing careful attention to set forms and details <gave her a formal invitation to dinner>

Synonyms correct, decorous, formal, nice, proper, punctilious, starchy, stiff, stiff-necked, stilted

Related Words sober, solemn, stately; chivalrous, courtly, gallant; genteel, polished, refined; civil, courteous, polite, red-carpet

Near Antonyms improper, indecorous, unmannerly; discourteous, impolite, rude

Antonyms casual, easygoing, informal, laid-back, unceremonious

4

relating to or suitable for wearing to an event requiring elegant dress and manners <the dress code is formal for tonight's event> <a shop that rents out formal wear>

Synonyms dressy, formal

Related Words costume, costumey; chic, dapper, fashionable, in, modish, natty, sharp, smart, snappy, stylish; custom-made, fitted, tailored; black-tie, evening, white-tie; semiformal

Near Antonyms street; dowdy, outmoded, styleless, unfashionable, unstylish; frowsy (or frowzy), grungy, sloppy, sloven, slovenly, unkempt, untidy; disheveled (or dishevelled), messy, mussy, rumpled, wrinkled

Antonyms casual, informal, sportif, sporty

5

very dignified in form, tone, or style <the formal language of the coronation ceremony>

Synonyms eloquent, formal, high-flown, lofty, majestic, stately, towering

Related Words affected, bombastic, declamatory, florid, flowery, grandiloquent, grandiose, highfalutin (also hifalutin), oratorical, pompous, pretentious, rhetorical (also rhetoric), stilted; Attic, cultured, refined; classy, courtly, fine, graceful, tasteful; aristocratic, genteel, patrician; correct, educated, grammatical, proper; academic (also academical), bookish, learned, literary

Near Antonyms casual, colloquial, conversational, informal, nonformal, slangy, unbookish, unliterary, vernacular; coarse, common, crass, crude, gross, ill-bred, indecent, lowbred, lowbrow, rough, rough-hewn, rude, tasteless, uncouth, uncultivated, uncultured, unpolished, unrefined, vulgar; incorrect, substandard, uneducated, ungrammatical, unlearned

Antonyms ineloquent, low, undignified