Formal Meaning
/ˈfɔɹməl/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjIn accordance with established forms.
adjOfficial.
Sentence Examples
I utterly despise formal writing!
We need some formal instruction in literature.
The President of the U.S. paid a formal visit to China.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
The wedding invitation had very strict rules, so we wore ____ clothes to the ceremony.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The invitation stated that ____ attire was required for the awards ceremony at the grand hotel.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English formel, borrowed from Old French formel, from Latin fōrmālis, from fōrma (“form”); equivalent to form + -al.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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."
— 1978, Heikki Seppä, Form Emphasis for Metalsmiths, [Kent, Oh.]: Kent State University Press, →ISBN, page 1:
"Well, I open up the door / And much to my surprise / The girls were wearin' formals / And the boys were wearin' ties"
— 1965, Shadow Morton, “Sophisticated Boom Boom”, performed by The Shangri-Las:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The wedding invitation had very strict rules, so we wore ____ clothes to the ceremony.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The invitation stated that ____ attire was required for the awards ceremony at the grand hotel.