informal

CEFRB1

/ɪnˈfɔː.m(ə)l/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

01
adjective
Relaxed and suitable for ordinary or friendly situations.
02
adjective
Extra detail
Not in accord with the usual regulations.

Examples

Informal diction is always full of mystery and surrealism.
It was only an informal party.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses: 5
Parts of speech: 1
Citations: 4
Synonyms: 5

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

Suited for everyday use.
Not formal or ceremonious.
Reflecting everyday, non-ceremonious usage.

More examples

In context

It's quite an informal meeting.
an informal agreement
an informal get-together

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The company dress code is blank, so employees can wear jeans and T-shirts.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Citations

The word in print, with each source given in full.

Students and faculty members lunch at the cafeteria and naturally communicate freely with one another in a relaxed and informal setting.
2019, Li Huang, James Lambert, “Another Arrow for the Quiver: A New Methodology for Multilingual Researchers”, in Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, →DOI, page...
One saint's day in mid-term a certain newly appointed suffragan-bishop came to the school chapel, and there preached on “The Inner Life.” He at once secured attention by his informal method, and when presently the coughing of Jarvis […] interrupted the sermon, he altogether captivated his audience with a remark about cough lozenges being cheap and easily procurable.
1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter III, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC
Participants emphasized the importance of their social network in facilitating their strength training experiences. Family members served as informal coaches who introduced the participants to basic exercises. This role, where family members model healthy behaviors, has been identified as being important to help supporting PA participation among autistic individuals in prior work (Ku et al., 2020; Shields et al., 2012).
2025 August 20, Ashlyn Barry, Justin A. Haegele, Daniel Schaefer, Kristen A. Pickett, Luis Columna, “Autistic Young Adults’ Experiences and Recommendations for Strength Training”, in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, →DOI
When I returned to the movie Ghilli, a Kollywood classic (Kollywood being the informal name for Tamil cinema) that I loved as a kid, I couldn’t help but question why the story continues romantically, without question, after the heroine is slapped by the supposed love of her life.
2025 August 14, Saranka Maheswaran, “Cheer up, Ice Cube, your War of the Worlds movie may be really bad, but it’s not worthless”, in The Guardian

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Origin

adjective

From in- + formal.

Deep Dive

adjective

More examples

Related

Quick test

The company dress code is blank—, so employees can wear jeans and T-shirts.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

The company dress code is blank, so employees can wear jeans and T-shirts.