[Edit]

top

relating to formality

opposite of informal

top

Formal occasion

Formal attire worn on such occasions

Formal dinner

Formal Hall dinner at older English universities

In Australian or British English, a "formal" is the equivalent of the American prom dance.

In American English, a "formal"is organized by a college or university organization, typically but not always a fraternity or sorority.

Informal occasion (included as Informal redirect here); see Dress code (Western) for the distinctions between Formal, Semi-formal, and Informal

Informal attire (not to be confused with Casual -- see Dress code (Western))

top

relating to form, i.e. appearance rather than essence.

relating to Formalism, i.e. emphasis on form over content or meaning.

formal logic logical argument based only on the form and not on the meaning.

Formal Cause Aristotle's intrinsic, determining cause.

top

formal power series generalization of power series without convergence.

formal calculation calculation which is systematic, but without a rigorous justification

formal set theory as opposed to naive set theory

formal derivative operation on elements of a polynomial ring which mimics the form of the derivative from calculus.

---

top

Language

formal system abstract means of generating inferences in a formal language
formal language symolic "words" or "sentences" of a formal system
formal grammar describes a formal language

---

top

Computer Science

formal methods in computer science, including:
formal specification describes what a system should do, not how it should do it
formal verification proves correctness of a system

top

Formal Equivalence word-for-word translation (especially of the Bible)

top

short or prefix form for formalin

short or prefix form for formaldehyde

synonym for dimethoxymethane