Informal

How to spell informal

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce informal

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does informal mean?

1. adjectiveRelaxed, casual, or unofficial; not following strict rules or formal procedure.

Informal in a sentence

• The team held an informal meeting over coffee to share ideas.

• The dress code for the party was informal, so jeans were fine.

Where does informal come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word is built on the Latin noun forma, which meant a shape, a mould, or an established arrangement, and which also gives us 'form' and 'formal'. The adjective 'formal' came into English in the late 1300s through Latin formalis, describing things done according to set rules, proper procedure, or fixed shape. 'Informal' was then assembled in English by adding the negative prefix in-, meaning 'not', so the whole word literally signals 'not done according to strict form'. It appears in English from the early 1600s, at first meaning irregular or lacking proper shape, before settling into its modern sense of relaxed, casual, and unofficial. Because the trap is the unstressed middle, it helps to remember that the word is simply 'in' plus 'formal' joined cleanly, with no doubled letters and no hidden vowels.

How the word is built

• in- (not)
• form (from Latin forma, shape or arrangement)
• -al (adjective suffix)