formal look
1
3.4
- noun
- a more formal look
Examples
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The belt is heinous with a tuxedo, and I agree with TLo that undershirts are mandatory with a formal look.
Blog text (3) -
Of course he does see things, but with the physical eye, not the eye of the heart; with a casual glance, not a lustful one; with a formal look, not a meaningful one; a look that is superficial, not penetrating.
Blog text (15) -
She wore a stunning gown to create a truly formal look for the wedding.
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The invitation suggested a formal look, so everyone dressed in elegant attire.
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To achieve a formal look, consider wearing a tailored suit with a dress shirt and tie.
Synonyms
3
3.8
Clothes worn for formal evening events, like a suit or long dress
3
3.6
Clothes for special events in the evening, like suits or long dresses
Antonyms
How Formal
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly built from 'formal' (relating to formality or formal dress) + 'look' (appearance), so an appearance appropriate for formal occasions is a straightforward compositional interpretation. This follows a common adjective + noun pattern that is cross-linguistically regular, making it immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
Formal look comes from wearing neat, official clothes so you have a clear formal look, like tuxedos, suits and ties at weddings or galas. That's why formal look means an appearance 'appropriate' for important events.