1
- done in accordance with rules of convention or etiquette; suitable for or constituting an official or important situation or occasion符合传统（或礼仪）的; 正式的：
a formal dinner party.
正式宴会。
1.1
- (of a person or their manner) prim or stiff（人, 态度）刻板的, 拘谨的。
1.2
- of or denoting a style of writing or public speaking characterized by more elaborate grammatical structures and more conservative and technical vocabulary（写作, 演讲）正式的, 庄重的。
1.3
- (especially of a house or garden) arranged in a regular, classical, and symmetrical manner（尤指房子或花园）整齐的, 布置井然的; 古典的; 匀称的。
2
- officially sanctioned or recognized正式批准（或认可）的：
a formal complaint.
正式申诉。
2.1
- having a conventionally recognized form, structure, or set of rules正规的：
he had little formal education.
他没受过多少正规教育。
3
- of or concerned with outward form or appearance, especially as distinct from content or matter（与）形式（有关）的：
I don't know enough about art to appreciate the purely formal qualities.
我对艺术懂得不多, 不会欣赏纯形式上的艺术特性。
3.1
- having the form or appearance without the spirit表面化的, 徒有形式的：
the committee stage would be purely formal.
委员会审议阶段只会是走过场。
3.2
- of or relating to linguistic or logical form as opposed to function or meaning（语言, 逻辑）形式的, 与形式有关的。
词源
late Middle English: from Latin formalis, from forma 'shape, mould' （see FORM）.