Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The state or quality of being informal.
  • noun An informal act.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The state of being informal; want of regular or customary form; an informal act or procedure: as, the informality of legal proceedings may render them void.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The state of being informal; lack of regular, prescribed, or customary form.
  • noun An informal, unconventional, or unofficial act or proceeding; something which is not in proper or prescribed form or does not conform to the established rule.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The condition of being informal

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a manner that does not take forms and ceremonies seriously
  • noun freedom from constraint or embarrassment

Etymologies

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Examples

  • But that same informality is what gets him into the most trouble - his "shoot from the lip" style of snap decisions, giving little thought or serious consideration to a position, leading to the need for "clarifying" his former position, or even denying or contradicting it as political considerations (i.e. what his handlers) demand.

    The Unaffiliated Will Decide 2010

  • Its informality is obvious, and the sentence style is easy and plain.

    November « 2008 « Sentence first 2008

  • Its informality is obvious, and the sentence style is easy and plain.

    Comma splice 2008

  • But they profess to believe that informality is liberating (in spite of their tyrannical attempts to impose it).

    The Formal Home 2006

  • Boldly expanding his no-frills model into new markets, Stelios (he insists on first-name informality) plans to open the first easyHotel in London this year with prices from [Pound sterling] 5 a night, an easyBus fleet and easyCruise, slated to sail next summer.

    Next: No-Frills Pizza? 2008

  • This has to be scary for Rove because it's that easethat Bush has, that informality, which is his asset.

    Archive 2004-08-01 2004

  • I might simply say that G-7 meetings, although we're in favor of the idea of informality, that's something that's always stressed in the case of the summits.

    Background Briefing On Mitterrand Meeting ITY National Archives 1993

  • The outdoor setting also lends itself to an informality, which is good for new students, parents who want to bring their children to yoga classes, and the occasional unexpected guest.

    post-gazette.com - News 2010

  • No matter if you find this kind of informality to be appropriate or not, it seems to resonate more than not [with consumers].

    Women Grow Business » PR Drivel: There’s a Better Way to Communicate with Your Stakeholders 2009

  • No matter if you find this kind of informality to be appropriate or not, it seems to resonate more than not [with consumers].

    Women Grow Business » 2009 » April 2009

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