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 nominal, paper, titularRelated Words so-called; phantom, virtual; apparent, assumed, evident, ostensible, presumed, seeming, supposedNear 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, ceremonious, nice, proper, punctilious, starchy, stiff, stiff-necked, stiltedRelated Words sober, solemn, stately; chivalrous, courtly, gallant; genteel, polished, refined; civil, courteous, polite, red-carpetNear Antonyms improper, indecorous, unmannerly; discourteous, impolite, rudeAntonyms 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, dressRelated Words costume, costumey; chic, dapper, fashionable, in, modish, natty, sharp, smart, snappy, stylish; custom-made, fitted, tailored; black-tie, evening, white-tie; semiformalNear Antonyms street; dowdy, outmoded, styleless, unfashionable, unstylish; frowsy (or frowzy), grungy, sloppy, sloven, slovenly, unkempt, untidy; disheveled (or dishevelled), messy, mussy, rumpled, wrinkledAntonyms casual, informal, sportif, sporty

5 very dignified in form, tone, or style the formal language of the coronation ceremony Synonyms eloquent, elevated, high-flown, lofty, majestic, stately, toweringRelated 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, literaryNear 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, unlearnedAntonyms ineloquent, low, undignified