very correct and suitable for official or important occasions

official; following an agreed or official way of doing things

to make a formal complaint

There has been no formal announcement of her resignation yet.

There followed a formal request for military aid.

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.

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 as early as four years old.

Inness received little formal artistic training.

connected with the way something is done rather than what is done

Getting approval for the plan is a purely formal matter; nobody will seriously oppose it.

The monarch retains largely formal duties.

Critics have concentrated too much on the formal elements of her poetry, without really looking at what it is saying.

arranged in a regular manner, according to a clear, exact plan

delightful formal gardens, with terraced lawns and an avenue of trees

Large French doors on the first floor open out onto a formal garden.

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