- (n.) See Methylal.
- (a.) Devoted to or done in accordance with, forms or rules; punctilious; regular; orderly; methodical; of a prescribed form; exact; prim; stiff; ceremonious; as, a man formal in his dress, his gait, his conversation.
- (a.) Sound; normal.
- (a.) Belonging to the constitution of a thing, as distinguished from the matter composing it; having the power of making a thing what it is; constituent; essential; pertaining to or depending on the forms, so called, of the human intellect.
- (a.) Done in due form or with solemnity; according to regular method; not incidental, sudden or irregular; express; as, he gave his formal consent.
- (a.) Having the form or appearance without the substance or essence; external; as, formal duty; formal worship; formal courtesy, etc.
- (a.) Belonging to the form, shape, frame, external appearance or organization of a thing.
- (a.) Dependent in form; conventional.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). formal. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/formal/definitions/2009628 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "formal" http://smartdefine.org/formal/definitions/2009628 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, formal, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/formal/definitions/2009628>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "formal" 27 May 2011. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/formal/definitions/2009628> |