1 (of a style of dress, speech, writing, behaviour, etc.) very correct and suitable for official or important occasions:
formal evening dress * The dinner was a formal affair. * He kept the tone of the letter formal and businesslike. * She has a very formal manner, which can seem unfriendly.
compareINFORMAL
2 official; following an agreed or official way of doing things:
formal legal processes * to make a formal apology / complaint / request * Formal diplomatic relations between the two countries were re-established in December. * It is time to put these arrangements on a slightly more formal basis.
3 (of education or training) received in a school, college or university, with lessons, exams, etc., rather than gained just through practical experience:
He has no formal teaching qualifications. * Young children are beginning their formal education sometimes as early as four years old.
4 concerned with the way sth is done rather than what is done:
Getting approval for the plan is a purely formal matter; nobody will seriously oppose it. * Critics have concentrated too much on the formal elements of her poetry, without really looking at what it is saying.
5 (of a garden, room or building) arranged in a regular manner, according to a clear, exact plan:
delightful formal gardens, with terraced lawns and an avenue of trees
formally adverb:
'How do you do?' she said formally. * The accounts were formally approved by the board. * Although not formally trained as an art historian, he is widely respected for his knowledge of the period.
