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Formal vs Casual - What's the difference?

formal | casual | Antonyms |

Casual is a antonym of formal.



As adjectives the difference between formal and casual

is that formal is being in accord with established forms while casual is happening by chance.

As nouns the difference between formal and casual

is that formal is formalin while casual is a worker who is only working for a company occasionally, not as its permanent employee.

formal

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Being in accord with established forms.
  • :
  • Official.
  • :
  • Relating to the form or structure of something.
  • :
  • *
  • Relating to formation.
  • :
  • Ceremonial.
  • :(rfquote-sense)
  • Proper, according to strict etiquette; not casual.
  • :
  • Organized; well-structured and planned.
  • :
  • (mathematics) Relating to mere manipulation and construction of strings of symbols, without regard to their meaning.
  • :
  • Antonyms

    * informal

    Derived terms

    * formal cause * formalize * formalist * formalism * formality

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Formalin.
  • An evening gown.
  • An event with a formal dress code.
  • Jenny took Sam to her Year 12 formal .

    casual

    English

    Alternative forms

    * casuall (obsolete)

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Happening by chance.
  • * (Washington Irving)
  • casual breaks, in the general system
  • Coming without regularity; occasional or incidental.
  • * (Nathaniel Hawthorne)
  • a constant habit, rather than a casual gesture
  • Employed irregularly.
  • * , chapter=17
  • , title= The Mirror and the Lamp , passage=This time was most dreadful for Lilian. Thrown on her own resources and almost penniless, she maintained herself and paid the rent of a wretched room near the hospital by working as a charwoman, sempstress, anything. In a moment she had dropped to the level of a casual labourer.}}
  • Careless.
  • * 2007 , Nick Holland, The Girl on the Bus (page 117)
  • I removed my jacket and threw it casually over the back of the settee.
  • Happening or coming to pass without design.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)
  • , chapter=8 citation , passage=It was a casual sneer, obviously one of a long line. There was hatred behind it, but of a quiet, chronic type, nothing new or unduly virulent, and he was taken aback by the flicker of amazed incredulity that passed over the younger man's ravaged face.}}
  • Informal, relaxed.
  • Designed for informal or everyday use.
  • Derived terms

    * casually * casualization * smart casual

    Synonyms

    *(happening by chance) accidental, fortuitous, incidental, occasional *(happening or coming to pass without design) unexpected * informal

    Antonyms

    *(happening by chance) inevitable, necessary *(happening or coming to pass without design) expected, scheduled * ceremonial, formal

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (British, NZ) A worker who is only working for a company occasionally, not as its permanent employee.
  • A soldier temporarily at a place of duty, usually en route to another place of duty.
  • (UK) A member of a group of football hooligans who wear expensive designer clothing to avoid police attention; see .
  • One who receives relief for a night in a parish to which he does not belong; a vagrant.
  • A player of casual games.
  • References

    *

    Anagrams

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