1
as in ceremonial
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 & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in titular
being something in name or form only
was the formal head of the charitable organization though he never attended a single meeting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in ceremonious
marked by or showing careful attention to set forms and details
gave her a formal invitation to dinner
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in dress
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 & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in eloquent
very dignified in form, tone, or style
the formal language of the coronation ceremony
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of formal
Essence, 14 Jan. 2026
Tip amounts received from other employees paid out through tip pools, tip splitting, or other formal/informal tip-sharing arrangements.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 14 Jan. 2026
Matt Lavietes, NBC News, 18 June 2024
At the time of his disappearance, Strain and his fellow Delta Chi fraternity members traveled to Tennessee for the group’s annual formal.
—David Chiu, Peoplemag, 17 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for formal
Adjective
Without formal training, Myricks created educational DVDs as a gateway tool to further her career.
—Essence, 14 Jan. 2026
Tip amounts received from other employees paid out through tip pools, tip splitting, or other formal/informal tip-sharing arrangements.
—Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 14 Jan. 2026
Noun
Strain went missing after being asked to leave Luke’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink in downtown Nashville while on a trip to the city with the other members of the Delta Chi Fraternity for a spring formal.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC News, 18 June 2024
At the time of his disappearance, Strain and his fellow Delta Chi fraternity members traveled to Tennessee for the group’s annual formal.
—David Chiu, Peoplemag, 17 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for formal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for formal
Adjective
-
The Aboriginal Dingaal people had been using the island as a sacred ceremonial site for about 6,000 years.—
Susan Casey,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Pittsburgh Penguins original owner Jack McGregor drops a ceremonial puck between Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Ryan Getzlaf #15 of the Anaheim Ducks at PPG Paints Arena on October 15, 2016 in Pittsburgh.—
Michael Guise,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Violet McGraw, known for playing the titular role in the M3GAN franchise, is set to lead a YA comedy feature in which her character is similarly protective of those close to her but in a slightly less diabolical way.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Dilbert’s titular character, an engineer working in a cubicle at a high-tech company, goes through many of the routine yet farcical aspects of corporate bureaucracy that many Americans were familiar with.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
More convincing in the film is cinematographer Talant Akynbekov’s observant, almost ceremonious lensing of carpet weaving, as well as of the beats of everyday life, sometimes accompanied by the traditional tunes villagers hum.—
Tomris Laffly,
Variety,
23 Nov. 2025
-
The band’s official end was even less ceremonious.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Gosling has a way of retreating into a silence more emotionally eloquent than the film’s occasionally clunky dialogue.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Off-screen, the eloquent preteen has been charming moviegoers at film festivals and Q&As over the past few months.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
1 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Rickey was the life of the party — and was looking forward to attending prom at the time he was murdered, his mother, Latasha Ferguson, said in a letter read aloud by a victim advocate.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
12 Jan. 2026
-
While all of this was going on across the country, retro recruits (also known as high school seniors) were saying goodbye to their families, their pals and their proms.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Unlike conventional lithium-ion batteries that falter under heat, thermal batteries use molten salts as electrolytes, which become ionically conductive only when heated.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Jan. 2026
-
They are hidden from conventional daylight.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Austin Public trains those producers, who, for a nominal fee, gain access to state-of-the-art equipment, studio space and content distribution for their own work.—
Matthew Odam,
Austin American Statesman,
29 Dec. 2025
-
Academic users will be able to access the platform for a nominal fee, while biotech and pharmaceutical companies are charged an annual subscription, which gives them the right to store their data securely, as well as a relatively low per-use charge.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
18 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Without proper hydration, fibermaxxing can cause constipation, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, bloating and gas, Syn said.—
Renée Onque,
CNBC,
16 Jan. 2026
-
Yet the first episode drags on a bit, laying a ton of groundwork and backstory before the proper investigation begins.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Formal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/formal. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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