informal

From in- +‎ formal.

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈfɔɹm(ə)l/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈfɔːm(ə)l/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: in‧for‧mal
• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)məl

informal (comparative more informal, superlative most informal)

1. Not formal or ceremonious.

   an informal get-together

   • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter III, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:

     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.

   • 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:

     Students and faculty members lunch at the cafeteria and naturally communicate freely with one another in a relaxed and informal setting.

   • 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^[1], →DOI:

     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).

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.
   • 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^[2]:

     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.

5. (horticulture) Not organized; not structured or planned.

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

• formal

• formalin

From in- +‎ formal.

• IPA^(key): (Central) [iɱ.furˈmal]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [iɱ.forˈmal]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [iɱ.foɾˈmal]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

informal m or f (masculine and feminine plural informals)

1. informal

• informalment

• “informal”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

informal m or f (plural informais)

1. informal

   Antonym: formal

• informalmente

• “informal”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025

From English informal. By surface analysis, in- +‎ formal.

• IPA^(key): [in.fɔ(r).məl], [in.fo(r).mal]
• Rhymes: -əl, -al
• Hyphenation: in‧for‧mal

informal (Jawi spelling اينفورمل)

1. Not formal; informal.

• “informal” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

• Hyphenation: in‧for‧mal

informal m or f (plural informais)

1. informal (not formal or ceremonious)

• informalmente

• “informal” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913

Borrowed from English informal or French informel.

informal m or n (feminine singular informală, masculine plural informali, feminine and neuter plural informale)

1. informal

• IPA^(key): /infoɾˈmal/ [ĩɱ.foɾˈmal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: in‧for‧mal

informal m or f (masculine and feminine plural informales)

1. informal

   Antonym: formal

• “informal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024

• filmaron