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Definition of formal : 1. Belonging to the constitution of a thing, as distinguished from the matter composing it; having the power of making a thing what it is; constituent; essential; pertaining to or depending on the forms, so called, of the human intellect.
2. Belonging to the form, shape, frame, external appearance, or organization of a thing.
3. Dependent in form; conventional.
4. Devoted to, or done in accordance with, forms or rules; punctilious; regular; orderly; methodical; of a prescribed form; exact; prim; stiff; ceremonious; as, a man formal in his dress, his gait, his conversation.
5. Done in due form, or with solemnity; according to regular method; not incidental, sudden or irregular; express; as, he gave his formal consent.
6. Having the form or appearance without the substance or essence; external; as, formal duty; formal worship; formal courtesy, etc.
7. See Methylal.
8. Sound; normal.

Synonyms:

directed, noble, chunk, dignified, nonrepresentational, ballock, ceremonial, starchy, white-tie, polite, clod, musket ball, semi-formal, punctilious, social, orchis, dressed up, precise, logical, orderly, lawful, baronial, dinner dress, bollock, form-only, semiformal, dressy, symmetrical, elegant, evening gown, full-dress, dinner gown, lump, approved, pro forma, ceremonious, glob, set, stiff, nut, buckram, nominal, schematic, egg, ritual, legal, black-tie, ritualistic, reserved, clump, testis, stately, imposing, testicle, literary, distant, prescribed, statuesque, titular, established, ball, official, dress, plain, courtesy, liturgical, confirmed, courtly, orb, perfunctory, globe, positive

adhering, proper, congruous, regular, traditional, acquiescing, aping, customary, obedient, submissive, correct, consist, mannerly, complying, conforming, conventional

flourishing, histrionic, flagrant, snazzy, flashy, gaudy, boastful, opulent, exhibitionistic, vain, affected, garish, dashing, dramatic, splashy, rakish, forced, stilted, grandiose, ostentatious, fussy, pompous, grandiloquent, blatant, flaunting, flamboyant, sensational, shameless, ornate, jaunty, showy

Usage examples:

• Promise me there shall be no formal engagement, and I will let him come now and then." - "Put Yourself in His Place", Charles Reade.
• In a formal letter. - "Man and Wife", Wilkie Collins.
• Even at the moment of formal welcome he must have felt that trouble was in store. - "The Fighting Governor A Chronicle of Frontenac", Charles W. Colby Edited by George M. Wrong and H. H. Langton.