1
as in ceremonial
following or agreeing with established form, custom, or rules
a formal meeting of the board of directors a formal contract that was legally binding
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in titular
being something in name or form only
was the formal head of the charitable organization though he never attended a single meeting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in ceremonious
marked by or showing careful attention to set forms and details
gave her a formal invitation to dinner
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in dress
relating to or suitable for wearing to an event requiring elegant dress and manners
the dress code is formal for tonight's event a shop that rents out formal wear
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in eloquent
very dignified in form, tone, or style
the formal language of the coronation ceremony
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in dance
a social gathering for dancing
he asked her to the formal at the end of the year
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of formal
Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 31 May 2025
Builders need to invest in recruiting as well as developing and delivering training, both formal and on-the-job.
—Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 27 Mar. 2024
Strain went missing on March 8 after being asked to leave Luke’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink in downtown Nashville while on a trip to the city with the other members of the Delta Chi Fraternity for a spring formal.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC News, 25 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for formal
Adjective
Board chair Lyndsay Quist, who heads the Indiana Department of Transportation, said her agency did some preliminary work when the General Assembly talked this past session about tolling on the state’s expressways but hasn’t submitted a formal request to the federal government yet.
—Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 31 May 2025
Builders need to invest in recruiting as well as developing and delivering training, both formal and on-the-job.
—Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
Noun
Hell's Kitchen; Here Lies Love, David Byrne and Fatboy Slim's exploration of Imelda and Ferdinand Marcos' rise and fall in the Philippines; and the adaptation of the 2015 documentary How to Dance in Ohio, about a group of teenagers with autism preparing for a spring formal.
—Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 27 Mar. 2024
Strain went missing on March 8 after being asked to leave Luke’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink in downtown Nashville while on a trip to the city with the other members of the Delta Chi Fraternity for a spring formal.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC News, 25 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for formal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for formal
Adjective
-
Although White was technically sworn in Tuesday night, a ceremonial swearing-in is set to take place at the June 3 City Council Committee of the Whole meeting.—
R. Christian Smith,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2025
-
While the ceremonial aspects of the visit drew attention, the event reinforced Canada’s current position on the world stage and the role of the monarchy in reinforcing that status.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
28 May 2025
Adjective
-
Discovery Ready to Offer Batman, Harry Potter, 'Friends' as Figures for Ads The titular girl is Jiang Ning (Zhang Zifeng) a fiercely competitive skater who’s been going through a demoralizing period in her training.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
28 May 2025
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None of them were Harry Potter himself, the titular role.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
27 May 2025
Adjective
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Ogden's #75 dons the back of one fan, Kris Prowse, who has opted – on this ceremonious day – to wear the jersey that started it all.—
Billie Melissa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 May 2025
-
The vice president’s role in officiating the Electoral College count before Congress — the final step in the election process before a president takes the White House — was known for many cycles as one that was mostly uneventful and largely ceremonious.—
Alex Gangitano,
The Hill,
6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Kevin Harlan and Ernie Johnson Jr. delivered eloquent, graceful sign-offs when TNT concluded 35 years of NBA coverage on Saturday night.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
3 June 2025
-
Patti LuPone, fresh off the set of And Just Like That…, has caused an internet kerfuffle with her astute (and deliciously eloquent) jabs at costars, former lovers, theatergoers, and even Times Square pedestrians in her recent profile in The New Yorker.—
Raven Smith,
Vogue,
28 May 2025
Noun
-
Students at Marshall Fundamental Secondary School, many of whom lost their homes in the January firestorm, were stood up Saturday by limousine service Wize Guy Entertainment, which nonprofit organization Alice’s Kids had paid to transport them to the dance, according to the head of the nonprofit.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2025
-
Weddings, quilting parties, dances, and all kinds of other occasions found notes of the banjo permeating the air.—
Essence,
Essence,
29 May 2025
Adjective
-
For more details on the nature of conventional AI versus AGI and ASI, see my analysis at the link here.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
-
The image - more grainy than conventional high-resolution photographs and in black and white - appears to show the debris of several aircraft located along the runway of the Belaya military air base or parked in protective revetments nearby.—
Tom Balmforth,
USA Today,
5 June 2025
Adjective
-
The Eagles saved a nominal amount of money after months of negotiations.—
Brooks Kubena,
New York Times,
29 May 2025
-
Judges could set the bond at a nominal amount, like $1.—
Caitlin Babcock,
Christian Science Monitor,
28 May 2025
Adjective
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The parliamentarian is the chamber's adviser on its proper rules and procedures.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 June 2025
-
There could be a defense explaining it and somehow providing the proper framework for understanding it.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Formal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/formal. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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