6. Dependent in form; conventional. Still in constraint your suffering sex remains, Or bound in formal or in real chains. Pope.
7. Sound; normal. [Obs.] To make of him a formal man again. Shak. Formal cause. See under Cause.
Syn. — Precise; punctilious; stiff; starched; affected; ritual; ceremonial; external; outward. — Formal, Ceremonious. When applied to things, these words usually denote a mere accordance with the rules of form or ceremony; as, to make a formal call; to take a ceremonious leave. When applied to a person or his manners, they are used in a bad sense; a person being called formal who shapes himself too much by some pattern or set form, and ceremonious when he lays too much stress on the conventional laws of social intercourse. Formal manners render a man stiff or ridiculous; a ceremonious carriage puts a stop to the ease and freedom of social intercourse.
FORMALDEHYDE
For*mal"de*hyde, n. Etym: [Formic + aldehyde.] (Chem.)
Defn: A colorless, volatile liquid, H2CO, resembling acetic or ethyl aldehyde, and chemically intermediate between methyl alcohol and formic acid.
FORMALIN
For"ma*lin, n. [Formic + aldehyde + -in.] (Chem.)
Defn: An aqueous solution of formaldehyde, used as a preservative in museums and as a disinfectant.
FORMALISM
Form"al*ism, n.
Defn: The practice or the doctrine of strict adherence to, or dependence on, external forms, esp. in matters of religion. Official formalism. Sir H. Rawlinson.
FORMALIST
Form"al*ist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. formaliste.]