being in accordance with the usual requirements, customs, etc.; conventional

to pay one's formal respects.

marked by form or ceremony

a formal occasion.

designed for wear or use at occasions or events marked by elaborate ceremony or prescribed social observance

The formal attire included tuxedos and full-length gowns.

requiring a type of dress suitable for such occasions

a formal dance.

observant of conventional requirements of behavior, procedure, etc., as persons; ceremonious.

excessively ceremonious

a manner that was formal and austere.

being a matter of form only; perfunctory

We expected more than just formal courtesy.

made or done in accordance with procedures that ensure validity

a formal authorization.

of, pertaining to, or emphasizing the organization or composition of the constituent elements in a work of art perceived separately from its subject matter

a formal approach to painting; the formal structure of a poem.

being in accordance with prescribed or customary forms

a formal siege.

Theater . (of a stage setting) generalized and simplified in design, esp. of architectural elements, and serving as a permanent set for a play irrespective of changes in location.

acquired in school; academic

He had little formal training in economics.

symmetrical or highly organized

a formal garden.

of, reflecting, or noting a usage of language in which syntax, pronunciation, etc., adhere to traditional standards of correctness and usage is characterized by the absence of casual, contracted, and colloquial forms

The paper was written in formal English.

Philosophy .

pertaining to form.

Aristotelianism . not material; essential.

Logic . formal logic.

pertaining to the form, shape, or mode of a thing, esp. as distinguished from the substance

formal writing, bereft of all personality.

being such merely in appearance or name; nominal

a formal head of the government having no actual powers.

Mathematics .

(of a proof) in strict logical form with a justification for every step.

(of a calculation) correct in form; made with strict justification for every step.

(of a calculation, derivation, representation, or the like) of or pertaining to manipulation of symbols without regard to their meaning.

a dance, ball, or other social occasion that requires formalwear.

an evening gown.

in formal attire

We're supposed to go formal.

adjective

disorderly , informal , relaxed , customary , normal , unaffected

adjective

academic , approved , ceremonial , ceremonialistic , ceremonious , confirmed , conventional , decorous , directed , explicit , express , fixed , formalistic , lawful , legal , methodical , official , precise , prescribed , pro forma , proper , punctilious , regular , rigid , ritual , ritualistic , set , solemn , stately , stereotyped , stereotypical , strict , systematic , aloof , by the numbers * , distant , exact , nominal , playing the game , polite , prim , reserved , seemly , sententious , starched , stilted * , straight arrow * , stuffy * , unbending , courtly , liturgical , dressy , full-dress , affected , correct , dogmatic , established , fancy , mechanical , old-fashioned , orderly , pedantic , pharisaic , scholastic , stiff , stilted , stylized , syntactical , traditional