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formally

adverb

Simple meaning

In accordance with official procedure.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

fawrmuhlee

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈfɔɹməli

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

adverb

  1. In accordance with official procedure.

  2. With official authorization

    “The club will be formally recognized.”

  3. In accordance with rigorous rules.

  4. In a formal manner

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: In accordance with official procedure.

Used this way, formally is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It suits considered writing and prepared speech.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Official and authoritative
Usage feel
Formal and precise

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use formally

  • “The club will be formally recognized.”adverb

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

formally establishedformally declaredformally organizedformally adoptedformally definedformally openedless formally

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • formaladjectiveBase word

    Being in accord with established forms and conventions and requirements (as e.g. of formal dress).

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • formalismnounDerived noun · specialist

    The doctrine that formal structure rather than content is what should be represented.

  • formalitiesnounDerived noun

    A requirement of etiquette or custom.

  • formalitynounDerived noun

    A requirement of etiquette or custom.

  • formalizedadjectiveDerived adjective

    Concerned with or characterized by rigorous adherence to recognized forms (especially in religion or art).

  • formalizeverbDerived verb

    Make formal or official.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Antonyms

Sense: in accordance with official procedure

informally

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.