Dictionary

informal en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ɪnˈfɔː.m(ə)l/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ɪnˈfɔɹ.m(ə)l/ (General-American)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Italic *n̥- Latin in-bor. Middle English in- English in- English formal English informal From in- + formal.

Meanings

1. Not formal or ceremonious.
   • One saint's day in mid-term a certain newly appointed suffragan-bishop came to the school chapel, and there preached on “The Inner Life.” He at once secured attention by his informal method, and when presently the coughing of Jarvis […] interrupted the sermon, he altogether captivated his audience with a remark about cough lozenges being cheap and easily procurable. 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter III, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
   • an informal get-together
   • Participants emphasized the importance of their social network in facilitating their strength training experiences. Family members served as informal coaches who introduced the participants to basic exercises. This role, where family members model healthy behaviors, has been identified as being important to help supporting PA participation among autistic individuals in prior work (Ku et al., 2020; Shields et al., 2012). 2025 August 20, Ashlyn Barry, Justin A. Haegele, Daniel Schaefer, Kristen A. Pickett, Luis Columna, “Autistic Young Adults’ Experiences and Recommendations for Strength Training”, in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, →DOI:
   • Students and faculty members lunch at the cafeteria and naturally communicate freely with one another in a relaxed and informal setting. 2019, Li Huang, James Lambert, “Another Arrow for the Quiver: A New Methodology for Multilingual Researchers”, in Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, →DOI, page 4:
2. Not in accord with the usual regulations.
   • an informal agreement
3. Suited for everyday use.
   • informal clothes
4. (of language) Reflecting everyday, non-ceremonious usage.
   • When I returned to the movie Ghilli, a Kollywood classic (Kollywood being the informal name for Tamil cinema) that I loved as a kid, I couldn’t help but question why the story continues romantically, without question, after the heroine is slapped by the supposed love of her life. 2025 August 14, Saranka Maheswaran, “Cheer up, Ice Cube, your War of the Worlds movie may be really bad, but it’s not worthless”, in The Guardian:
5. Not organized; not structured or planned.

Forms

Antonyms

formal

Deriveds

informal learning · informalist · informal fallacy · informalness · semi-informal · informal marriage · superinformal · informality · informal settler · informal group · informalwear · informal logic · informalize · overinformal · informalism · informally

Synonyms

not formal · ceremonious · suited for everyday use · colloquial (language: reflecting everyday, non-ceremonious usage) · not in accord with the usual regulations

Translations (88)

ro informal (not formal or ceremonious) · tr teklifsiz (language: reflecting everyday, non-ceremonious usage) · gv neuformoil (not formal or ceremonious) · ja 非公式の (not in accord with the usual regulations) · fi epävirallinen (not in accord with the usual regulations) · ja 褻の (not formal or ceremonious) · de zwanglos (not formal or ceremonious) · fi arkikielinen (language: reflecting everyday, non-ceremonious usage) · be размо́ўны (language: reflecting everyday, non-ceremonious usage) · bg безцеремо́нен (not in accord with the usual regulations) · ja 非公式の (not formal or ceremonious) · el φιλικός (not formal or ceremonious) · pl nieformalny (not formal or ceremonious) · mi hāramuramu (not formal or ceremonious) · ms informal (language: reflecting everyday, non-ceremonious usage) · tl dimaanyo (not in accord with the usual regulations) · oc informal (not formal or ceremonious) · el ανεπίσημος (language: reflecting everyday, non-ceremonious usage) · ru неформа́льный (not formal or ceremonious) · gl informal (not formal or ceremonious) · th ไม่เป็นทางการ (not formal or ceremonious) · pl nieformalny (not in accord with the usual regulations) · de informell (not formal or ceremonious) · mi ōpaki (not formal or ceremonious) · fr familier (language: reflecting everyday, non-ceremonious usage) · es aformal (language: reflecting everyday, non-ceremonious usage) · ja 日常の (not formal or ceremonious) · mk разговорен (language: reflecting everyday, non-ceremonious usage) · tr senli benli (language: reflecting everyday, non-ceremonious usage) · pt informal (not formal or ceremonious) · cmn 非正式 (not formal or ceremonious) · pl potoczny (language: reflecting everyday, non-ceremonious usage) · bg разгово́рен (language: reflecting everyday, non-ceremonious usage) · ru разгово́рный (language: reflecting everyday, non-ceremonious usage) · cmn 俗 (language: reflecting everyday, non-ceremonious usage) · kk бейресми (not formal or ceremonious) · it informale (language: reflecting everyday, non-ceremonious usage) · fr informel (not formal or ceremonious) · ro popular (language: reflecting everyday, non-ceremonious usage) · uk неофіці́йний (not formal or ceremonious) · cs neformální (not formal or ceremonious) · es aformal (not in accord with the usual regulations) · es informal (not in accord with the usual regulations) · fr informel (not in accord with the usual regulations) · ja 内々の (not in accord with the usual regulations) · tr gayriresmî (not in accord with the usual regulations) · it familiare (language: reflecting everyday, non-ceremonious usage) · ru непринуждённый (not formal or ceremonious) · de unförmlich (not formal or ceremonious) · pl kolokwialny (language: reflecting everyday, non-ceremonious usage) · is óformlegur (not formal or ceremonious) · hu közvetlen (not formal or ceremonious) · nb uhøytidelig (not formal or ceremonious) · bg неофициа́лен (not formal or ceremonious) · cy anffurfiol (not formal or ceremonious) · ms informal (not in accord with the usual regulations) · es informal (not formal or ceremonious) · fi epämuodollinen (not formal or ceremonious) · ja 口語の (language: reflecting everyday, non-ceremonious usage) · bg неформа́лен (not formal or ceremonious) · it informale (not in accord with the usual regulations) · pl potoczny (not formal or ceremonious) · ms percakapan (language: reflecting everyday, non-ceremonious usage) · uk неформа́льний (not formal or ceremonious) · es aformal (not formal or ceremonious) · ka არაფორმალური (not formal or ceremonious) · ja 普段の (not formal or ceremonious) · hi अनौपचारिक (not formal or ceremonious) · ms informal (not formal or ceremonious) · it non officiale (not in accord with the usual regulations) · eo neformala (not formal or ceremonious) · tl dimaanyo (not formal or ceremonious) · ga neamhnósúil (not formal or ceremonious) · tr teklifsiz (not formal or ceremonious) · ca informal (not formal or ceremonious) · fr informel (language: reflecting everyday, non-ceremonious usage) · es informal (language: reflecting everyday, non-ceremonious usage) · de inoffiziell (not in accord with the usual regulations) · hi अनौपचारिक (not in accord with the usual regulations) · sv informell (not formal or ceremonious) · it informale (not formal or ceremonious) · uk розмо́вний (language: reflecting everyday, non-ceremonious usage) · be неафіцы́йны (not formal or ceremonious) · it colloquiale (language: reflecting everyday, non-ceremonious usage) · cmn 非正式 (not in accord with the usual regulations) · be нефарма́льны (not formal or ceremonious) · ru неофициа́льный (not formal or ceremonious) · fi epämuodollinen (not in accord with the usual regulations)