1
: marked by the absence of formality or ceremony
2
: characteristic of or appropriate to ordinary, casual, or familiar use
Synonyms
Example Sentences
We had an informal meeting over lunch.
He has an informal manner that puts people at ease.
He spoke to them in informal Spanish.
The term is common in informal contexts.
He took an informal poll among his coworkers.
Recent Examples on the Web
Kelly was left confused about whether Bloomberg’s RTO policy was formal or informal, a guideline or a rule.
—
Simon Willis, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2023
At an informal shareholder meeting in Hong Kong, Chairman Mark Tucker and CEO Noel Quinn took questions from investors on issues ranging from how the bank was approaching demands for an overhaul of its business to its purchase of Silicon Valley Bank’s UK arm.
—Michelle Toh, CNN, 3 Apr. 2023
In early 2016, producer Sebastian Bear-McClard reached out to a 17-year-old girl on Instagram — an overture that led to an informal meeting at a Soho loft.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 29 Mar. 2023
Get customer feedback with formal or informal research.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2023
Indeed, their how-to-flirt piece is an informal discussion among staffers, including token male Neill McCutheon, associate art director.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Mar. 2023
Additional highlights include a home office, gift-wrapping room, wine cellar, and maid’s quarters; plus various formal and informal living areas.
—Wendy Geller, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2023
Another topic that sometimes seems to be the subject of a formal or informal policy of silence is weight.
—Eren Orbey, The New Yorker, 16 Feb. 2023
To avoid such scrutiny, experts say, schools resort to the largely undocumented informal removals as workarounds.
—Erica L. Green, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘informal.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of informal was
in the 15th century
Dictionary Entries Near informal
Cite this Entry
“Informal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/informal. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023.
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7 Apr 2023
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Square is turning informal, cash transactions, like you would do with a taco truck, into card swipes. Stripe is more for the Internet, it’s focused on the kinds of transactions that weren’t possible years ago. We think about how you would buy things from a mobile phone, crowd-funding, how should that work.
Patrick Collison
PRONUNCIATION OF INFORMAL
GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF INFORMAL
Informal is an adjective.
The adjective is the word that accompanies the noun to determine or qualify it.
WHAT DOES INFORMAL MEAN IN ENGLISH?
Formal
Formal, relating to an established hierarchy, procedure or set of specific behaviors. For other uses of form see Form For other uses of formalism see Formalism Formal may also refer to: ▪ Formal, a type of ceremonial event at university ▪ School formal, a type of ceremonial event at school ▪ Formal wear, clothing for formal occasions ▪ Informal sector, as opposed to Formal sector, economic activity beyond the purview of government ▪ A Formality, an established procedure or set of specific behaviors…
Definition of informal in the English dictionary
The first definition of informal in the dictionary is not of a formal, official, or stiffly conventional nature. Other definition of informal is appropriate to everyday life or use. Informal is also denoting or characterized by idiom, vocabulary, etc, appropriate to everyday conversational language rather than to formal written language.
WORDS THAT RHYME WITH INFORMAL
Synonyms and antonyms of informal in the English dictionary of synonyms
SYNONYMS OF «INFORMAL»
The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «informal» and belong to the same grammatical category.
Translation of «informal» into 25 languages
TRANSLATION OF INFORMAL
Find out the translation of informal to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of informal from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «informal» in English.
Translator English — Chinese
非正式的
1,325 millions of speakers
Translator English — Spanish
informal
570 millions of speakers
English
informal
510 millions of speakers
Translator English — Hindi
अनौपचारिक
380 millions of speakers
Translator English — Arabic
غَيْرُ رَسْمِيٌّ
280 millions of speakers
Translator English — Russian
неформальный
278 millions of speakers
Translator English — Portuguese
informal
270 millions of speakers
Translator English — Bengali
লৌকিকতাবর্জিত
260 millions of speakers
Translator English — French
informel
220 millions of speakers
Translator English — Malay
Tidak rasmi
190 millions of speakers
Translator English — German
inoffiziell
180 millions of speakers
Translator English — Japanese
形式ばらない
130 millions of speakers
Translator English — Korean
비공식적인
85 millions of speakers
Translator English — Javanese
Informal
85 millions of speakers
Translator English — Vietnamese
thân mật
80 millions of speakers
Translator English — Tamil
முறைசாரா
75 millions of speakers
Translator English — Marathi
अनौपचारिक
75 millions of speakers
Translator English — Turkish
resmi olmayan
70 millions of speakers
Translator English — Italian
informale
65 millions of speakers
Translator English — Polish
nieformalny
50 millions of speakers
Translator English — Ukrainian
неформальний
40 millions of speakers
Translator English — Romanian
informal
30 millions of speakers
Translator English — Greek
ανεπίσημος
15 millions of speakers
Translator English — Afrikaans
informele
14 millions of speakers
Translator English — Swedish
informell
10 millions of speakers
Translator English — Norwegian
uformell
5 millions of speakers
Trends of use of informal
TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «INFORMAL»
The term «informal» is very widely used and occupies the 12.429 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
FREQUENCY
Very widely used
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «informal» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of informal
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «informal».
FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «INFORMAL» OVER TIME
The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «informal» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «informal» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.
Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about informal
10 QUOTES WITH «INFORMAL»
Famous quotes and sentences with the word informal.
Africa’s informal economy is one of the most innovative and inventive environments in the world. Yet it is an environment with little regulation in which workers are often exposed to hard conditions and live without a safety net.
We must ensure that while eliminating child labor in the export industry, we are also eliminating their labour from the informal sector, which is more invisible to public scrutiny — and thus leaves the children more open to abuse and exploitation.
I started to learn Greek when I was in high school, the last year of high school, by accident, because my teacher knew Greek and she offered to teach me on the lunch hour, so we did it in an informal way, and then I did it at university, and that was the main thing of my life.
I also developed an interest in sports, and played in informal games at a nearby school yard where the neighborhood children met to play touch football, baseball, basketball and occasionally, ice hockey.
Square is turning informal, cash transactions, like you would do with a taco truck, into card swipes. Stripe is more for the Internet, it’s focused on the kinds of transactions that weren’t possible years ago. We think about how you would buy things from a mobile phone, crowd-funding, how should that work.
I love a modern suit paired with a polo or cotton T-shirt… and then paired with leather sneakers, or cashmere joggers with a tailored blazer and a sleeveless puffer vest to get the ultimate informal and formal combination.
What’s really great about Buddhism is its rational, informal quality. Coming from my experience of growing up a Catholic, I found Buddhism to be refreshingly easygoing and forgiving.
Mine were informal mentors. They were all in my working life.
I think also of my colleagues in elementary particle theory in many lands, and feel that in some measure I am here as a representative of our small, informal, international fraternity.
When I took part in European leaders summits, it was sometimes unpleasant for me to hear Romanian, Polish, Portuguese, and Italian friends speak English, although I admit that on an informal basis, first contacts can be made in this language. Nevertheless, I will defend everywhere the use of the French language.
10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «INFORMAL»
Discover the use of informal in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to informal and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
The borderline between structure and architecture thus becomes increasingly blurred. This process is explained in detail in «Informal» by reference to eight seminal projects.
Jannuzzi Smith, Christian Brensing, 2007
2
Learning in Places: The Informal Education Reader
Learning in Places is a concerted effort undertaken by an outstanding group of international researchers to create a resource book that can introduce academic, professional and lay readers to the field of informal learning/education and its …
Zvi Bekerman, Nicholas C. Burbules, Diana Silberman-Keller, 2006
3
Informal Transport in the Developing World
This study reviews the informal transport sector throughout the world, and identifies promising enabling and remedial strategies.
4
Informal Governance in the European Union
How are the deals and decisions of the EU made — in the meeting rooms and at the conference tables, or by informal networks in the back corridors of power?
Thomas Christiansen, Simona Piattoni, 2003
5
Informal Reading Inventory: Preprimer to Twelfth Grade
Unique to this text are its K-12 scope and its abundant strategies (including forms) for assessing students’ vocabulary, phonics, and comprehension of text.
Betty Roe, Paul C. Burns, 2010
6
Principles and Practice of Informal Education: Learning …
The book looks at the role of an educator in informal education and youth work settings. Comprehensive and analytical, it looks at social, cultural and political contexts of education.
Linda Deer Richardson, Mary Wolfe, 2001
7
Informal Logic: A Handbook for Critical Argumentation
This is an introductory guidebook to the basic principles of how to construct good arguments and how to criticeze bad ones.
8
Informal Settlements: A Perpetual Challenge?
This text focuses on the complex challenges—from poor living conditions to troubled health care options—faced by those living in informal settlements in countries such as South Africa and Brazil, as well as by local and national …
Marie Huchzermeyer, Aly Karam, 2006
9
Informal Learning: Rediscovering the Natural Pathways That …
Most learning on the job is informal. This book offers advice on how to support, nurture, and leverage informal learning and helps trainers to go beyond their typical classes and programs in order to widen and deepen heir reach.
10
Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920’s
Recreates the social, political, and economic scene of the 1920s in America
Frederick Lewis Allen, 1931
10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «INFORMAL»
Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term informal is used in the context of the following news items.
Informal operators feed fat on unregulated car park business …
Amidst the informal arrangement, the collectors rake in millions of naira operating in the name of any government agencies they desire. «BusinessDay, Jul 15»
Date Set For Informal Hearing — Emmetsburg Reporter/Democrat
The Palo Alto County Board of Supervisors were presented with a new idea during a report on a drainage district improvement proposal … «Emmetsburg News, Jul 15»
Informal climate talks boost prospects for Paris deal later this year
OTTAWA — Months of informal discussions among climate negotiators from more than 20 countries suggest there’s a significant international … «Times Colonist, Jul 15»
Don’t believe propaganda about informal traders — The Zimbabwean
This is because, it goes on, the so-called barons have discovered a way of beating tax by trading on the informal market instead of formal shops … «The Zimbabwean, Jul 15»
Reduce rates for informal workers, MPs tell NHIF
The National Assembly’s Committee on Health has asked the national health insurer to drop the Sh500 monthly fee for people in the informal … «The Standard Digital News, Jul 15»
Scottish government calls for ‘informal review’ of fundraising practices
The Scottish government has called on the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations to conduct its own “informal review” into fundraising … «Civil Society Media, Jul 15»
Netanyahu Tells Settlers He’ll Continue Informal Settlement Freeze
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told settlers on Monday that he’ll continue the informal settlements freeze, due to international pressure. «JP Updates, Jul 15»
No Land Tax support, the Donkey Vote and Informal Voting
Trying to analyse the impact of ballot papers on voting behaviour is always complicated by the geographic variability of vote by party. Statistical … «ABC Online, Jul 15»
Essay on how new Ph.D.s can ace informal interviews
What we don’t talk about as much — until you come to see us, of course — is informal interviews. These include informational interviews that turn … «Inside Higher Ed, Jul 15»
Taking on the informal economy: Is it worth it
Counterfeit products make up a small portion of the informal market, which, despite the uproar against its existence, continues to grow on a … «The Standard Digital News, Jul 15»
REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Informal [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/informal>. Apr 2023 ».
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Discover all that is hidden in the words on 
If something’s informal, it’s casual and relaxed and doesn’t follow any particular rules or conventions, whether that’s a style of writing, or the dress code for your dinner party.
If you have informal plans to see your friend, that means you’ll get together but you’re not sure when — you’ll figure it out later. Informal also means “casual,” like wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Informal writing or speech is the linguistic equivalent of wearing jeans and a t-shirt, with a relaxed tone and simple words. In an informal football club, you don’t pay dues to anyone, you just show up at the park and play with whoever is there.
Definitions of informal
-
“conservative people unaccustomed to
informal dress”“an
informal free-and-easy manner”“an
informal gathering of friends”-
Synonyms:
-
casual, daily, everyday
appropriate for ordinary or routine occasions
-
casual, free-and-easy
natural and unstudied
-
folksy
very informal and familiar
-
unceremonial, unceremonious
without ceremony or formality
see moresee less-
Antonyms:
-
formal
being in accord with established forms and conventions and requirements (as e.g. of formal dress)
-
conventional
following accepted customs and proprieties
-
ceremonial
marked by pomp or ceremony or formality
-
ceremonious, conventional
rigidly formal or bound by convention
-
dress, full-dress
(of an occasion) requiring formal clothes
-
form-only
being a matter of form only; lacking substance
-
dress, full-dress
suitable for formal occasions
-
nominal, titular
existing in name only
-
positive, prescribed
formally laid down or imposed
-
perfunctory, pro forma
as a formality only
-
black-tie, semi-formal, semiformal
moderately formal; requiring a dinner jacket
-
buckram, starchy, stiff
rigidly formal
-
white-tie
requiring white ties and tailcoats for men
-
formal
(of spoken and written language) adhering to traditional standards of correctness and without casual, contracted, and colloquial forms
- show more antonyms…
-
casual, daily, everyday
-
adjective
having or fostering a warm or friendly and informal atmosphere
“a relaxed
informal manner”-
synonyms:
cozy, intimate
-
friendly
characteristic of or befitting a friend
-
friendly
-
adjective
not officially recognized or controlled
“an
informal agreement”-
synonyms:
loose
-
unofficial
not having official authority or sanction
-
unofficial
-
adjective
used of spoken and written language
-
Synonyms:
-
colloquial, conversational
characteristic of informal spoken language or conversation
-
common, vernacular, vulgar
being or characteristic of or appropriate to everyday language
-
epistolary, epistolatory
written in the form of or carried on by letters or correspondence
-
slangy
constituting or expressed in slang or given to the use of slang
-
subliterary
not written as or intended to be literature
-
nonliterary, unliterary
marked by lack of affectation or pedantry
-
unrhetorical
not rhetorical
see moresee less-
Antonyms:
-
formal
(of spoken and written language) adhering to traditional standards of correctness and without casual, contracted, and colloquial forms
-
formal
being in accord with established forms and conventions and requirements (as e.g. of formal dress)
-
literary
appropriate to literature rather than everyday speech or writing
-
rhetorical
given to rhetoric, emphasizing style at the expense of thought
- show more antonyms…
-
colloquial, conversational
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘informal’.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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WordReference Random House Learner’s Dictionary of American English © 2023 in•for•mal /ɪnˈfɔrməl/USA pronunciation
in•for•mal•ly, adv.: dressed informally for the party.See -form-.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2023 in•for•mal
in•for′mal•ly, adv.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: informal /ɪnˈfɔːməl/ adj
‘informal‘ also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations): |
|
in·for·mal
(ĭn-fôr′məl)
adj.
1. Not formal or ceremonious; casual: an informal gathering of friends; a relaxed, informal manner.
2. Not being in accord with prescribed regulations or forms; unofficial: an informal agreement.
3. Suited for everyday wear or use: informal clothes.
4. Characterized by nontechnical vocabulary, simple sentence structure, and relatively few explicit transitions, as typified by spoken language: informal discourse.
in·for′mal·ly adv.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
informal
(ɪnˈfɔːməl)
adj
1. not of a formal, official, or stiffly conventional nature: an informal luncheon.
2. appropriate to everyday life or use: informal clothes.
3. (Grammar) denoting or characterized by idiom, vocabulary, etc, appropriate to everyday conversational language rather than to formal written language
4. (Grammar) denoting a second-person pronoun in some languages used when the addressee is regarded as a friend or social inferior: In French the pronoun «tu» is informal, while «vous» is formal.
inˈformally adv
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
in•for•mal
(ɪnˈfɔr məl)
adj.
1. without formality or ceremony; casual: an informal visit.
2. not according to the prescribed, official, or customary way or manner; irregular; unofficial: informal proceedings.
3. suitable to or characteristic of casual or familiar speech or writing.
[1595–1605]
in•for′mal•ly, adv.
Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
| Adj. | 1. | informal — not formal; «conservative people unaccustomed to informal dress»; «an informal free-and-easy manner»; «an informal gathering of friends»
informal — used of spoken and written language formal — being in accord with established forms and conventions and requirements (as e.g. of formal dress); «pay one’s formal respects»; «formal dress»; «a formal ball»; «the requirement was only formal and often ignored»; «a formal education» |
| 2. | informal — not officially recognized or controlled; «an informal agreement»; «a loose organization of the local farmers»
loose unofficial — not having official authority or sanction; «a sort of unofficial mayor»; «an unofficial estimate»; «he participated in an unofficial capacity» |
|
| 3. | informal — used of spoken and written language
informal — not formal; «conservative people unaccustomed to informal dress»; «an informal free-and-easy manner»; «an informal gathering of friends» unrhetorical — not rhetorical formal — (of spoken and written language) adhering to traditional standards of correctness and without casual, contracted, and colloquial forms; «the paper was written in formal English» |
|
| 4. | informal — having or fostering a warm or friendly and informal atmosphere; «had a cozy chat»; «a relaxed informal manner»; «an intimate cocktail lounge»; «the small room was cozy and intimate»
cozy, intimate friendly — characteristic of or befitting a friend; «friendly advice»; «a friendly neighborhood»; «the only friendly person here»; «a friendly host and hostess» |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
informal
adjective
2. relaxed, easy, comfortable, simple, natural, casual, cosy, laid-back (informal), mellow, leisurely, easy-going The house has an informal atmosphere.
relaxed formal, conventional, stiff, constrained
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
informal
adjective
1. Unconstrained by rigid standards or ceremony:
2. In the style of conversation:
The American Heritage® Roget’s Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
neformálníneoficiálníhovorový
uformeluformel formafslappet
epävirallinen
neformalan
kötetlen
óformlegur; óhátíîleguróformlegur; talmáls-
形式ばらない
비공식적인
formalumų nesilaikymasneformalusneoficialiaineoficialumasneoficialus
brīvsneformālsneoficiāls
neoficiálny
neformalenneuradenpogovoren
informell
ไม่เป็นทางการ
thân mật
informal
[ɪnˈfɔːməl] ADJ
2. (= unofficial) [meeting, negotiations, visit] → informal
Collins Spanish Dictionary — Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
informal
[ɪnˈfɔːrməl] adj
[language, word, expression] → familier/ière
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
informal
adj
(= simple, without ceremony) meeting, gathering, party, conversation, atmosphere → zwanglos, ungezwungen; manner, clothes, tone also → leger; language, speech → ungezwungen, informell; restaurant → gemütlich; the informal use of “du” → die vertraute Anrede „du“; “dress informal” → „zwanglose Kleidung“; he is very informal → er ist sehr leger
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
informal
(inˈfoːml) adjective
1. not formal or official; friendly and relaxed. The two prime ministers will meet for informal discussions today; Will the party be formal or informal?; friendly, informal manners.
2. (of speech or vocabulary) used in conversation but not usually when writing formally, speaking in public etc. `Won’t’ and `can’t’ are informal forms of `will not’ and `cannot’.
ˌinforˈmality (-ˈmӕ-) nouninˈformally adverb
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
informal
→ غَيْرُ رَسْمِيٌّ neformální uformel inoffiziell ανεπίσημος informal epävirallinen informel neformalan informale 形式ばらない 비공식적인 informeel uformell nieformalny informal неформальный informell ไม่เป็นทางการ teklifsiz thân mật 非正式的
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009