FORMAL in a Sentence

Learn FORMAL from example sentences; some of them are from classic books. These examples are selected from a corpus with 300,000 sentences, including classic works and current mainstream media. Some sentences also link to their contexts.

146 example sentences for FORMAL, such as:

1. But no formal salutation was exchanged.
2. The letter is written in a formal style.
3. The garden is laid out in a formal pattern.
4. The job does not require any formal training.
5. Jeans are not appropriate for a formal party.

Free Online Vocabulary Test
K12, SAT, GRE, IELTS, TOEFL
 Input your word:
Search Sentence
Want to search a word in classic works?
Search Classic Quotes
 Meanings and Examples of FORMAL
Definition Example Sentence Classic Sentence
formal
 a.  official; executed, carried out, or done in proper or regular form
Classic Sentence: (90 in 7 pages)
1  It irritated her so much that during one formal call she aped Gerald's brogue to her aunt's distress.
Gone With The Wind By Margaret Mitchell
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER VII
2  Nor would they go through the formal and protracted courtships which good manners had prescribed before the war.
Gone With The Wind By Margaret Mitchell
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER XII
3  He had so many hats, wide Panamas for summer, tall beavers for formal occasions, hunting hats, slouch hats of tan and black and blue.
Gone With The Wind By Margaret Mitchell
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER XV
4  Will closed by wishing her happiness, a laconic formal statement which he qualified in no way.
Gone With The Wind By Margaret Mitchell
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER XXXVI
5  But his formal, remote air kept her at arm's length.
Gone With The Wind By Margaret Mitchell
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER XLII
6  Before the announcement of their coming marriage, the two had been unpopular enough but people could still be polite to them in a formal way.
Gone With The Wind By Margaret Mitchell
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER XLVII
7  But that would mean she would hardly ever see Ashley, except in a formal social way with crowds of people around.
Gone With The Wind By Margaret Mitchell
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER LI
8  Melanie took her calling with her on formal afternoons, gently forcing her into parlors in which Scarlett had not sat for more than two years.
Gone With The Wind By Margaret Mitchell
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER LV
9  But Judy, though she must have been apprised of Miss Bart's return, had not even recognized it by the formal note of condolence which her friend's bereavement demanded.
House of Mirth By Edith Wharton
Context  Highlight   In BOOK 2: Chapter 4
10  Perhaps the only formal whaling code authorized by legislative enactment, was that of Holland.
Moby Dick By Herman Melville
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER 89. Fast-Fish and Loose-Fish.
11  But no formal salutation was exchanged.
Moby Dick By Herman Melville
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER 128. The Pequod Meets The Rachel.
12  They were formal housewives, most of them, with a severe sense of decorum.
My Antonia By Willa Cather
Context  Highlight   In BOOK 2. The Hired Girls: IV
13  She was formal in manner, and made calls in rustling, steel-grey brocades and a tall bonnet with bristling aigrettes.
My Antonia By Willa Cather
Context  Highlight   In BOOK 2. The Hired Girls: XI
14  When it was ended, a general bustle announced that it was to be immediately succeeded by a solemn and formal assemblage of the nation.
The Last of the Mohicans By James Fenimore Cooper
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER 28
15  A formal apology will make him see how foolish he is, and bring him down quite amiable.
Little Women By Louisa May Alcott
Context  Highlight   In CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Example Sentence: (56 in 4 pages)
16  No formal record of the marriage now survives.
17  A notice informed the guests that formal dress was required.
18  Jeans are not appropriate for a formal party.
19  The garden is laid out in a formal pattern.
20  The staff say there is no formal structure for negotiating pay increases.
21  There are several precedents for promoting people who don't have formal qualifications.
22  They decided to put their relationship on a more formal footing.
23  The job does not require any formal training.
24  She has a very formal manner, which can seem unfriendly.
25  The letter is written in a formal style.
26  He writes in a formal and rather stilted style.
27  Cole's style is decidedly more formal than the previous manager's.
28  In formal logic, a contradiction is the signal of defeat, but in the evolution of real knowledge it marks the first step in progress toward a victory.
29  Although no formal charges had been made against him, in the wake of the recent scandal the mayor felt he should tender his resignation.
30  Because of the impropriety of the punk rocker's slashed T-shirt and jeans, the management refused to admit him to the hotel's very formal dining room.