# formal

Pronunciation: US say "FOR-muhl" /ˈfɔɹməl/; UK say "FAW-muhl" /ˈfɔːməl/

## Adjective

1. Done according to strict etiquette and proper manners, rather than in a casual or relaxed way.
   - Simple: Following strict rules of polite behavior, and not relaxed or casual.
   - _The reception called for formal attire and careful etiquette._
   - _She addressed the ambassador with formal courtesy._
2. Official in nature, carrying the recognition or authority of an institution or recognized procedure.
   - Simple: Official, with proper approval from someone in charge.
   - _The two countries signed a formal agreement to end the dispute._
   - _She made a formal complaint to the store manager._
3. Done in accordance with established forms and accepted procedures.
   - Simple: Following the set ways that things are usually done.
   - _The court requires a formal procedure for filing documents._
   - _Their meetings follow a formal structure laid out in the bylaws._
4. Connected with ceremony or rooted in long-standing tradition.
   - Simple: Used for special ceremonies or following old customs.
   - _The coronation included many formal rites passed down for centuries._
   - _Graduates wore robes for the formal procession across the stage._
5. Organized, well-structured, and planned in advance.
   - Simple: Well-organized and planned out carefully.
   - _The team adopted a formal process for reviewing new ideas._
   - _Workers received formal training before using the machines._
7. Concerning the form or structure of something rather than its content.
   - Simple: About the shape or structure of something.
   - _The critic focused on the formal qualities of the sculpture, such as line and mass._
   - _Their analysis examined the formal structure of the building._
8. Following a strict system of well-defined rules or laws; rigorous.
   - Simple: Using strict, exact rules to show that something is correct.
   - _The paper presents a formal proof of the theorem._
   - _Linguists built a formal model of sentence structure._
10. Concerned only with manipulating and arranging strings of symbols according to rules, without regard to their meaning.
   - Simple: About working with symbols by their shape and rules, not their meaning.
   - _A formal language defines which symbol strings are valid without saying what they mean._
   - _The logician treated the calculus as a purely formal exercise._
11. Relating to the process by which something is formed.
   - Simple: About how something is formed or made.
   - _The geologist described the formal processes that shaped the canyon._
   - _Her thesis traced the formal development of the language over time._

## Noun

6. A social event that requires formal dress, such as a dance or gala.
   - Simple: A party or dance where people dress up in fancy clothes.
   - _The seniors are organizing a formal for the end of the year._
   - _He rented a tuxedo for the company formal._
9. A long evening gown worn to dressy or formal occasions.
   - Simple: A long, fancy dress worn at special evening events.
   - _She chose an elegant blue formal for the gala._
   - _The seamstress altered the formal to fit perfectly._
12. The named placeholder variable in a function definition that stands for an argument supplied when the function is called.
   - Simple: A name used in a program for a value that will be given later.
   - _The compiler matches each formal to the corresponding argument at the call site._
   - _A function's formals are listed inside the parentheses of its definition._
13. Ellipsis of formal hall, a formal evening meal at some British universities, chiefly Oxford and Cambridge. — Ellipsis of formal hall.
   - Simple: Short for formal hall, a formal dinner at some British colleges, such as at Oxford or Cambridge.
   - _Students hurried to formal before the doors closed._
   - _He skipped formal to finish his essay._
14. A watery solution of formaldehyde used as a preservative and disinfectant; formalin.
   - Simple: A strong liquid used to keep dead bodies or samples from rotting.
   - _The biologist fixed the tissue in formal before slicing it._
   - _A jar of formal kept the frog ready for dissection._
15. A chemical compound of the acetal type, formed from formaldehyde.
   - Simple: A kind of chemical compound made from formaldehyde.
   - _The reaction yields a formal when formaldehyde combines with two alcohol molecules._
   - _Chemists prepared a cyclic formal from the diol._

## Origin

From Middle English formel, borrowed from Old French formel, from Latin fōrmālis, which comes from fōrma ("form"); it is equivalent to "form" plus the suffix "-al."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/formal (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).