Informal — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

not formal

not officially recognized or controlled

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/ɪnfˈɔːɹməl/

🇬🇧British English

/ɪnfˈɔːməl/

🇮🇳Indian English

/ɪnfˈɔːməl/

3 syllables Say it as /ɪnfˈɔːɹməl/.

Examples

conservative people unaccustomed to informal dress
an informal free-and-easy manner
an informal gathering of friends

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

intimate cozy loose

Antonyms

formal

Parts of Speech

adjective	not formal “conservative people unaccustomed to informal dress”
adjective	not officially recognized or controlled “an informal agreement”
adjective	used of spoken and written language
adjective	having or fostering a warm or friendly and informal atmosphere “had a cozy chat”

Word Forms

informality	noun	freedom from constraint or embarrassment
coziness	noun	a state of warm snug comfort

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

informell

nicht formell

🇫🇷French

informel

pas formel

🇮🇹Italian

informale

non formale

🇳🇱Dutch

informeel

niet formeel

🇷🇺Russian

неофициальный

не формальный

India

🇮🇳Hindi

अनौपचारिक

औपचारिक नहीं

🇧🇩Bengali

অনানুষ্ঠানিক

আনুষ্ঠানিক নয়

🇮🇳Tamil

முறைசாரா

முறையானதல்ல

🇮🇳Telugu

అనధికారిక

అధికారిక కాదు

🇮🇳Marathi

अनौपचारिक

औपचारिक नाही

🇮🇳Gujarati

અનૌપચારિક

ઔપચારિક નથી

🇮🇳Kannada

ಅನೌಪಚಾರಿಕ

ಔಪಚಾರಿಕವಲ್ಲ

🇮🇳Malayalam

അനൗപചാരികമായ

ഔപചാരികമല്ല

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਗੈਰ ਰਸਮੀ

ਰਸਮੀ ਨਹੀਂ

🇵🇰Urdu

غیر رسمی

رسمی نہیں

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

非正式的

不正式

🇯🇵Japanese

非公式

正式ではない

🇰🇷Korean

비공식

형식적이지 않은

🇻🇳Vietnamese

không chính thức

không trang trọng

🇹🇭Thai

ไม่เป็นทางการ

🇮🇩Indonesian

tidak resmi

tidak formal

🇵🇭Filipino

impormal

hindi pormal

🇲🇾Malay

tidak formal

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

غير رسمي

🇮🇷Persian

غیر رسمی

رسمی نیست

🇹🇷Turkish

resmi olmayan

resmi değil

🇮🇱Hebrew

לֹא פוֹרמָלִי

לא רשמי

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'informal'?

The primary meaning of 'informal' is 'not formal'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'informal' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'informal' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'informal' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'informal' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'informal' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'informal' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'informal' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'informal' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'informal' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'informal' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted