formal

See also: formál and formål

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English formel, borrowed from Old French formel, from Latin formalis, from forma (“form”); see form.

Pronunciation

(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈfɔɹməl/
(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈfɔːməl/
Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)məl
Hyphenation: for‧mal
Audio (US) (file)

Adjective

formal (comparative more formal, superlative most formal)

Being in accord with established forms.
She spoke formal English, without any dialect.
Official.
I'd like to make a formal complaint.
Despite efforts by limnologists and freshwater biologists to create a formal definition of “pond”, there is still no universal distinction between a “pond” and a “lake.”
Relating to the form or structure of something.
Formal linguistics ignores the vocabulary of languages and focuses solely on their grammar.
- 1978, Heikki Seppä, Form Emphasis for Metalsmiths, [Kent, Oh.]: Kent State University Press, →ISBN, page 1:
  THE THREE DOMINANT FORMS IN METALSMITHING […] At present, there are but three basic volumetric forms dominating the work of metalsmiths, the spherical (usually in its most practical form, the domical), the cylindrical, and the cubical. […] The possibilities for further variations on them are all but exhausted, there being little chance to express new and unusual ideas within the framework of such limited choices. As a result, much of twentieth-century metalsmithing has relied on surface enrichment rather than formal development for its originality.
Relating to formation.
The formal stage is a critical part of any child's development.
Ceremonial or traditional.
Formal wear must be worn at my wedding!
Proper, according to strict etiquette; not casual.
He's always very formal, and I wish he'd relax a bit.
Organized; well-structured and planned.
When they became a formal club the rowers built a small boathouse.
(mathematics) Relating to mere manipulation and construction of strings of symbols, without regard to their meaning.
Formal series are defined without any reference to convergence.

Antonyms

informal

Derived terms

formal cause
formal education
formal fallacy
formal grammar
formal heresy
formalism
formalist
formality
formalize
formal language
formal logic
formally
formal ontology
formal power series
formal science
formal semantics
formal system
formal validity

Related terms

form

Translations

being in accord with established forms

Arabic: رَسْمِيّ‎ (ar) (rasmiyy)
Belarusian: фарма́льны (farmálʹny)
Bulgarian: формален (bg) (formalen)
Catalan: formal (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 正式 (zh) (zhèngshì)
Czech: formální (cs)
Danish: formel
Dhivehi: ރަސްމީ‎ (dv) (rasmī)
Dutch: formeel (nl)
Finnish: kaavamainen (fi), formaali (fi)
French: formel (fr), soutenu (fr)
Galician: formal
German: formal (de), formell (de)
Greek: επίσημος (el) (epísimos)
Icelandic: formlegur (is)
Japanese: 正式 (ja) (せいしき, seishiki), 公式 (ja) (こうしき, kōshiki)
Maori: ōkawa
Norwegian: formell (no)
Persian: صوری‎ (fa) (suri)
Polish: formalny (pl)
Portuguese: formal (pt)
Romanian: formal (ro) m or n
Russian: форма́льный (ru) (formálʹnyj)
Serbo-Croatian: fòrmālan (sh)
Slovak: formálny (sk)
Spanish: formal (es)
Swedish: formell (sv)
Tagalog: maanyo
Ukrainian: форма́льний (uk) (formálʹnyj)

official

Arabic: رَسْمِيّ‎ (ar) (rasmiyy)
Bashkir: рәсми (räsmi)
Belarusian: афіцы́йны (be) (aficýjny), офіцыя́льны (oficyjálʹny), фарма́льны (farmálʹny)
Bulgarian: официален (bg) (oficialen)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 正式 (zh) (zhèngshì)
Dutch: formeel (nl)
Finnish: virallinen (fi), formaali (fi)
French: officiel (fr)
Galician: oficial (gl) m or f
German: förmlich (de), formell (de), offiziell (de)
Greek: επίσημος (el) m (epísimos)
Hungarian: hivatalos (hu), formális (hu)
Icelandic: formlegur (is)
Polish: oficjalny (pl), formalny (pl)
Portuguese: formal (pt)
Romanian: oficial (ro) m or n, formal (ro) m or n
Russian: официа́льный (ru) (oficiálʹnyj), форма́льный (ru) (formálʹnyj)
Serbo-Croatian: fòrmālan (sh), slȕžben (sh)
Tagalog: maanyo
Turkish: formel (tr), resmî (tr)
Ukrainian: офіці́йний (oficíjnyj), офіціа́льний (oficiálʹnyj), форма́льний (uk) (formálʹnyj)

relating to the form or structure of something

Bulgarian: формен (bg) (formen)
Catalan: formal (ca)
Finnish: muodollinen (fi), formaali (fi)
French: formel (fr)
Galician: formal
German: Form-
Hungarian: formai (hu)
Italian: formale (it)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: پەتی‎ (ku) (petî)
Portuguese: formal (pt)
Serbo-Croatian: fòrmālan (sh)
Spanish: formal (es)
Turkish: biçimsel (tr), formel (tr), şeklî

ceremonial

Bulgarian: церемониален (bg) (ceremonialen)
Catalan: solemne (ca), convencional (ca)
Finnish: juhlallinen (fi), formaali (fi)
German: formell (de), förmlich (de)
Greek: τυπικός (el) m (typikós)
Japanese: 正式の (ja) (seishiki no)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: høytidelig (no)
Portuguese: formal (pt)
Serbo-Croatian: cȅremonijālan (sh)
Spanish: protocolario

mathematics, logic: relating to mere manipulations of symbols

Bulgarian: формален (bg) (formalen)
Dhivehi: ރަސްމީ‎ (dv) (rasmī)
German: formal (de)
Hungarian: formális (hu)
Portuguese: formal (pt)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} formala
Ido: ^{(please verify)} formala (io)

Noun

formal (countable and uncountable, plural formals)

(clothing) An evening gown.
- 1965, Shadow Morton (lyrics and music), “Sophisticated Boom Boom”, performed by The Shangri-Las:
  Well, I open up the door / And much to my surprise / The girls were wearin' formals / And the boys were wearin' ties
An event with a formal dress code.
Jenny took Sam to her Year 12 formal.
(programming) A formal parameter.
(Oxbridge slang) Ellipsis of formal hall..

Derived terms

formal swap

Etymology 2

see formo-

Noun

formal (plural formals)

(uncountable) Formalin.
An acetal formed from formaldehyde.

Related terms

essive-formal
hemiformal

Translations

formalin — see formalin

Anagrams

Folmar

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin fōrmālis.

Pronunciation

(Balearic, Valencian) IPA^(key): /foɾˈmal/

(Central) IPA^(key): /furˈmal/
Audio (file)

Adjective

formal (masculine and feminine plural formals)

formal
Antonym: informal

Derived terms

formalitzar
formalment
informal

Related terms

forma
formalitat

Crimean Tatar

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin formalis, from forma (“form”).

Adjective

formal

formal

References

Mirjejev, V. A.; Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajinsʹko-krymsʹkotatarsʹkyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary]‎, Simferopol: Dolya, →ISBN

Galician

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin formalis.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /foɾˈmal/

Noun

formal m (plural formais)

site, plot
- 1290, M. Lucas Álvarez P. Lucas Domínguez (eds.), El monasterio de San Clodio do Ribeiro en la Edad Media: estudio y documentos. Sada / A Coruña: Edicións do Castro, page 415:
  damos a uos que tenades de nos essa cassa en que uos ora morades en Eyres, con seu saydo et con todo o formal dessa casa, asi como esta çerrada de muro ao tenpo da era desta carta.
  we give you, for you to have, that house where you now dwell in Eires, with its garden and with the whole plot of that house, as it is enclosed with a wall at the time of this charter
Synonym: sesego
foundation, ruin
mould for the production of tiles

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Latin formalis.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /foɾˈmal/

Adjective

formal m or f (plural formais)

formal

Derived terms

formalmente

Related terms

forma
formalidade
informal

References

“formal” in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval, SLI - ILGA 2006–2022.
“formal” in Xavier Varela Barreiro & Xavier Gómez Guinovart: Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval. SLI / Grupo TALG / ILG, 2006–2018.
“formal” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006–2013.
“formal” in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago: ILG.
“formal” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.

German

Etymology

Form +‎ -al

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /fɔʁˈmaːl/
Rhymes: -aːl
Audio (file)

Adjective

formal (strong nominative masculine singular formaler, comparative formaler, superlative am formalsten)

formal (being in accord with established forms)

Usage notes

Not to be confused with formell.The adjectives formell and informell express the presence or absence of ceremonies: ein informelles Treffen is a meeting in a near-private context.The adjective formal stresses the outward appearance (pro forma) as opposed to the content or the spirit.

Declension

Positive forms of formal

number & gender		singular			plural
number & gender		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
predicative		er ist formal	sie ist formal	es ist formal	sie sind formal
strong declension (without article)	nominative	formaler	formale	formales	formale
	genitive	formalen	formaler	formalen	formaler
	dative	formalem	formaler	formalem	formalen
	accusative	formalen	formale	formales	formale
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der formale	die formale	das formale	die formalen
	genitive	des formalen	der formalen	des formalen	der formalen
	dative	dem formalen	der formalen	dem formalen	den formalen
	accusative	den formalen	die formale	das formale	die formalen
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein formaler	eine formale	ein formales	(keine) formalen
	genitive	eines formalen	einer formalen	eines formalen	(keiner) formalen
	dative	einem formalen	einer formalen	einem formalen	(keinen) formalen
	accusative	einen formalen	eine formale	ein formales	(keine) formalen

Comparative forms of formal

number & gender		singular			plural
number & gender		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
predicative		er ist formaler	sie ist formaler	es ist formaler	sie sind formaler
strong declension (without article)	nominative	formalerer	formalere	formaleres	formalere
	genitive	formaleren	formalerer	formaleren	formalerer
	dative	formalerem	formalerer	formalerem	formaleren
	accusative	formaleren	formalere	formaleres	formalere
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der formalere	die formalere	das formalere	die formaleren
	genitive	des formaleren	der formaleren	des formaleren	der formaleren
	dative	dem formaleren	der formaleren	dem formaleren	den formaleren
	accusative	den formaleren	die formalere	das formalere	die formaleren
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein formalerer	eine formalere	ein formaleres	(keine) formaleren
	genitive	eines formaleren	einer formaleren	eines formaleren	(keiner) formaleren
	dative	einem formaleren	einer formaleren	einem formaleren	(keinen) formaleren
	accusative	einen formaleren	eine formalere	ein formaleres	(keine) formaleren

Superlative forms of formal

number & gender		singular			plural
number & gender		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
predicative		er ist am formalsten	sie ist am formalsten	es ist am formalsten	sie sind am formalsten
strong declension (without article)	nominative	formalster	formalste	formalstes	formalste
	genitive	formalsten	formalster	formalsten	formalster
	dative	formalstem	formalster	formalstem	formalsten
	accusative	formalsten	formalste	formalstes	formalste
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der formalste	die formalste	das formalste	die formalsten
	genitive	des formalsten	der formalsten	des formalsten	der formalsten
	dative	dem formalsten	der formalsten	dem formalsten	den formalsten
	accusative	den formalsten	die formalste	das formalste	die formalsten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein formalster	eine formalste	ein formalstes	(keine) formalsten
	genitive	eines formalsten	einer formalsten	eines formalsten	(keiner) formalsten
	dative	einem formalsten	einer formalsten	einem formalsten	(keinen) formalsten
	accusative	einen formalsten	eine formalste	ein formalstes	(keine) formalsten

Piedmontese

Etymology

From Latin formalis.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /furˈmal/
Rhymes: -al

Adjective

formal

formal

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin fōrmālis. By surface analysis, forma +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

(Brazil) IPA^(key): /foʁˈmaw/ [foɦˈmaʊ̯]
- (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /foɾˈmaw/ [foɾˈmaʊ̯]
- (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /foʁˈmaw/ [foʁˈmaʊ̯]
- (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /foɻˈmaw/ [foɻˈmaʊ̯]

(Portugal) IPA^(key): /fuɾˈmal/ [fuɾˈmaɫ]

Rhymes: -al, -aw
Hyphenation: for‧mal

Adjective

formal m or f (plural formais)

formal (being in accord with established forms)
formal (official)
formal (relating to the form or structure of something)
formal (ceremonial)
(logic) formal (involving mere manipulations of symbols)

Derived terms

formalmente

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French formel, Latin formalis.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /forˈmal/

Adjective

formal m or n (feminine singular formală, masculine plural formali, feminine and neuter plural formale)

formal

Declension

Declension of formal

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	formal		formală	formali	formale
nominative/ accusative	definite	formalul		formala	formalii	formalele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	formal		formale	formali	formale
genitive/ dative	definite	formalului		formalei	formalilor	formalelor

Related terms

formalitate

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin formalis.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /foɾˈmal/ [foɾˈmal]
Rhymes: -al
Syllabification: for‧mal

Adjective

formal (plural formales)

formal
reliable, dependable

Derived terms

falacia formal
feo, fuerte, y formal
formalidad
formalismo
formalista
formalización
formalizar
formalmente

Related terms

forma
informal
- informalidad
- informalmente

formal

English

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

Adjective

Antonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Noun

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Noun

Related terms

Translations

Further reading

Anagrams

Catalan

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

Derived terms

Related terms

Further reading

Crimean Tatar

Etymology

Adjective

References

Galician

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

Noun

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Adjective

Derived terms

Related terms

Further reading

References

German

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

Usage notes

Declension

Further reading

Piedmontese

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

Portuguese

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

Derived terms

Further reading

Romanian

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

Declension

Related terms

Spanish

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

Derived terms

Related terms

Further reading