formally
Americanadverb
-
in a formal manner.
The store was formally opened on Tuesday.
-
as regards form; in form.
It may be formally correct, but it is substantively wrong.
Etymology
Origin of formally
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
At the beginning of the war, exact U.S. objectives weren’t clearly or formally stated, and I guessed the president would make them clear the day operations cease.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026
Moscow and Yerevan are formally allies but their ties have become increasingly strained under Pashinyan.
From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026
On March 20, volunteer editors for Wikipedia’s English-language platform formally voted to ban all A.I.-generated text from its 7.1 million articles.
From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026
It was merged into Bitcoin’s official improvement proposal repository in February, meaning it is now formally under consideration by the developer community but is still far from being implemented.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026
“We’ll take you to the Court of the Sky. There you may formally ask the Council of Guardians for the details of your quest.”
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
