"formality" meaning in English

See formality in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Forms: formalities [plural]
Rhymes: -ælɪti Etymology: From Middle French formalité. equivalent to formal + -ity. Etymology templates: {{uder|en|frm|formalité}} Middle French formalité, {{suffix|en|formal|ity}} formal + -ity Head templates: {{en-noun|~}} formality (countable and uncountable, plural formalities)
  1. (uncountable) The state of being formal. Tags: uncountable Translations (The state of being formal): формализъм (formalizǎm) [masculine] (Bulgarian), formalitat [feminine] (Catalan), formalisme [masculine] (Catalan), formalitet [common-gender] (Danish), højtidelighed [common-gender] (Danish), stivhed [common-gender] (Danish), formalité [feminine] (French), formalidade [feminine] (Galician), ფორმალურობა (pormaluroba) (Georgian), foirmiúlacht [feminine] (Irish), formalitet [masculine] (Norwegian Bokmål), formalitet [masculine] (Norwegian Nynorsk), форма́льность (formálʹnostʹ) [feminine] (Russian), formalidad [feminine] (Spanish), formalitet [common-gender] (Swedish), formalite (Turkish), ciddiyet (Turkish), resmiyet (Turkish), sizlibizlilik (Turkish)
    Sense id: en-formality-en-noun-M12oBe0B Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with language name categories using raw markup, English terms suffixed with -ity, English undefined derivations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 67 5 4 24 Disambiguation of English entries with language name categories using raw markup: 67 8 6 20 Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -ity: 65 9 9 18 Disambiguation of English undefined derivations: 61 9 8 22 Disambiguation of 'The state of being formal': 94 1 1 4
  2. Something said or done as a matter of form. Tags: countable, uncountable Translations (Something said or done as a matter of form): formalitet [common-gender] (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-formality-en-noun-8SnxYrvl Disambiguation of 'Something said or done as a matter of form': 2 93 4 1
  3. A customary ritual without substance, real consequence, or unique meaning. Tags: countable, uncountable Translations (A customary ritual without new or unique meaning): Formalität [feminine] (German), formalitet [common-gender] (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-formality-en-noun-Q6gyaWU6 Disambiguation of 'A customary ritual without new or unique meaning': 2 3 91 3
  4. (countable) A specific requirement for obtaining a legal status, conducting a transaction, etc. Tags: countable Translations (specific requirement): formalitat [feminine] (Catalan), formalitet [common-gender] (Danish), muodollisuudet (Finnish), formaliteetit (Finnish), formalité [feminine] (French), formalidade [feminine] (Galician), ფორმალობა (pormaloba) (Georgian), formalitet [masculine] (Norwegian Bokmål), formalitet [masculine] (Norwegian Nynorsk), formalidad [feminine] (Spanish), formalia [plural] (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-formality-en-noun-teLe8W2K Disambiguation of 'specific requirement': 12 4 7 77

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for formality meaning in English (7.8kB)

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        "1": "en",
        "2": "frm",
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      "expansion": "Middle French formalité",
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    {
      "args": {
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        "2": "formal",
        "3": "ity"
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      "expansion": "formal + -ity",
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  "etymology_text": "From Middle French formalité. equivalent to formal + -ity.",
  "forms": [
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          "_dis": "67 5 4 24",
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          "ref": "1874, Georg August Schweinfurth, chapter I, in Ellen E. Frewer, transl., The Heart of Africa: Three Years' Travels and Adventures in the Unexplored Regions of Central Africa, from 1868 to 1871, second edition, volume I, London: Sampson Low, Marston, Low, And Searle, translation of Im Herzen von Afrika, Botanical Ardour",
          "text": "[S]uch an one […] recalls as a vision of Paradise the land he has learnt to love; he exaggerates the insalubrity of a northern climate; he bewails the wretched formality of our civilised life, and so, back to the distant solitudes flies his recollection like a dove to the wilderness.",
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        "(uncountable) The state of being formal."
      ],
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        {
          "_dis1": "94 1 1 4",
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "formalizǎm",
          "sense": "The state of being formal",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "формализъм"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 1 1 4",
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "The state of being formal",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
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          "word": "formalitat"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 1 1 4",
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "The state of being formal",
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        {
          "_dis1": "94 1 1 4",
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "The state of being formal",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
          "word": "formalitet"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 1 1 4",
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "The state of being formal",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
          "word": "højtidelighed"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 1 1 4",
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "The state of being formal",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
          "word": "stivhed"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 1 1 4",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "The state of being formal",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "formalité"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 1 1 4",
          "code": "gl",
          "lang": "Galician",
          "sense": "The state of being formal",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "formalidade"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 1 1 4",
          "code": "ka",
          "lang": "Georgian",
          "roman": "pormaluroba",
          "sense": "The state of being formal",
          "word": "ფორმალურობა"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 1 1 4",
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "sense": "The state of being formal",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "foirmiúlacht"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 1 1 4",
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "The state of being formal",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "formalitet"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 1 1 4",
          "code": "nn",
          "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
          "sense": "The state of being formal",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "formalitet"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 1 1 4",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "formálʹnostʹ",
          "sense": "The state of being formal",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "форма́льность"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 1 1 4",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "The state of being formal",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "formalidad"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 1 1 4",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "The state of being formal",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
          "word": "formalitet"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 1 1 4",
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "The state of being formal",
          "word": "formalite"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 1 1 4",
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "The state of being formal",
          "word": "ciddiyet"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 1 1 4",
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "The state of being formal",
          "word": "resmiyet"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "94 1 1 4",
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "The state of being formal",
          "word": "sizlibizlilik"
        }
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      "id": "en-formality-en-noun-8SnxYrvl",
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          "form",
          "form"
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          "_dis1": "2 93 4 1",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "Something said or done as a matter of form",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
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        }
      ]
    },
    {
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      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The examination for priesthood is no mere formality, so we have to study well.",
          "type": "example"
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      ],
      "id": "en-formality-en-noun-Q6gyaWU6",
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          "customary"
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          "ritual",
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        [
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          "unique"
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        [
          "meaning",
          "meaning"
        ]
      ],
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      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "2 3 91 3",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "A customary ritual without new or unique meaning",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Formalität"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "2 3 91 3",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "A customary ritual without new or unique meaning",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
          "word": "formalitet"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
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      "glosses": [
        "A specific requirement for obtaining a legal status, conducting a transaction, etc."
      ],
      "id": "en-formality-en-noun-teLe8W2K",
      "links": [
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          "legal",
          "legal"
        ],
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          "status",
          "status"
        ],
        [
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          "transaction"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(countable) A specific requirement for obtaining a legal status, conducting a transaction, etc."
      ],
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          "_dis1": "12 4 7 77",
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "specific requirement",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "formalitat"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "12 4 7 77",
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "specific requirement",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
          "word": "formalitet"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "12 4 7 77",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "specific requirement",
          "word": "muodollisuudet"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "12 4 7 77",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "specific requirement",
          "word": "formaliteetit"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "12 4 7 77",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "specific requirement",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "formalité"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "12 4 7 77",
          "code": "gl",
          "lang": "Galician",
          "sense": "specific requirement",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "formalidade"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "12 4 7 77",
          "code": "ka",
          "lang": "Georgian",
          "roman": "pormaloba",
          "sense": "specific requirement",
          "word": "ფორმალობა"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "12 4 7 77",
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "specific requirement",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "formalitet"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "12 4 7 77",
          "code": "nn",
          "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
          "sense": "specific requirement",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "formalitet"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "12 4 7 77",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "specific requirement",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "formalidad"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "12 4 7 77",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "specific requirement",
          "tags": [
            "plural"
          ],
          "word": "formalia"
        }
      ]
    }
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  "sounds": [
    {
      "rhymes": "-ælɪti"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "formality"
  ],
  "word": "formality"
}
{
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          "ref": "1874, Georg August Schweinfurth, chapter I, in Ellen E. Frewer, transl., The Heart of Africa: Three Years' Travels and Adventures in the Unexplored Regions of Central Africa, from 1868 to 1871, second edition, volume I, London: Sampson Low, Marston, Low, And Searle, translation of Im Herzen von Afrika, Botanical Ardour",
          "text": "[S]uch an one […] recalls as a vision of Paradise the land he has learnt to love; he exaggerates the insalubrity of a northern climate; he bewails the wretched formality of our civilised life, and so, back to the distant solitudes flies his recollection like a dove to the wilderness.",
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      "glosses": [
        "The state of being formal."
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        "(uncountable) The state of being formal."
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          "text": "The examination for priesthood is no mere formality, so we have to study well.",
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    },
    {
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      "glosses": [
        "A specific requirement for obtaining a legal status, conducting a transaction, etc."
      ],
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        [
          "status",
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        "(countable) A specific requirement for obtaining a legal status, conducting a transaction, etc."
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      "tags": [
        "countable"
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  "sounds": [
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  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "formalizǎm",
      "sense": "The state of being formal",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "формализъм"
    },
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "The state of being formal",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "formalitat"
    },
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "The state of being formal",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "formalisme"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "The state of being formal",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "formalitet"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "The state of being formal",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "højtidelighed"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "The state of being formal",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "stivhed"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "The state of being formal",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "formalité"
    },
    {
      "code": "gl",
      "lang": "Galician",
      "sense": "The state of being formal",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "formalidade"
    },
    {
      "code": "ka",
      "lang": "Georgian",
      "roman": "pormaluroba",
      "sense": "The state of being formal",
      "word": "ფორმალურობა"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "sense": "The state of being formal",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "foirmiúlacht"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "The state of being formal",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "formalitet"
    },
    {
      "code": "nn",
      "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
      "sense": "The state of being formal",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "formalitet"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "formálʹnostʹ",
      "sense": "The state of being formal",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "форма́льность"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "The state of being formal",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "formalidad"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "The state of being formal",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "formalitet"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "The state of being formal",
      "word": "formalite"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "The state of being formal",
      "word": "ciddiyet"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "The state of being formal",
      "word": "resmiyet"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "The state of being formal",
      "word": "sizlibizlilik"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "Something said or done as a matter of form",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "formalitet"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "A customary ritual without new or unique meaning",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Formalität"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "A customary ritual without new or unique meaning",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "formalitet"
    },
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "specific requirement",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "formalitat"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "specific requirement",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "formalitet"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "specific requirement",
      "word": "muodollisuudet"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "specific requirement",
      "word": "formaliteetit"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "specific requirement",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "formalité"
    },
    {
      "code": "gl",
      "lang": "Galician",
      "sense": "specific requirement",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "formalidade"
    },
    {
      "code": "ka",
      "lang": "Georgian",
      "roman": "pormaloba",
      "sense": "specific requirement",
      "word": "ფორმალობა"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "specific requirement",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "formalitet"
    },
    {
      "code": "nn",
      "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
      "sense": "specific requirement",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "formalitet"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "specific requirement",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "formalidad"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "specific requirement",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ],
      "word": "formalia"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "formality"
  ],
  "word": "formality"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-31 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (91e95e7 and db5a844). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.