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Glite Dictionary
🎩 Formal clothing 📋 Thorough or formal
full-dress

full-dress

7.2
Being formal and complete in every part
  • adjective
  • /fʊl drɛs/
  • Formal
translation icon : formal
  • This is a full-dress event!

Examples

  • She arranged a full-dress rehearsal for the play to ensure everything went smoothly on opening night.

  • The full-dress rehearsal was a success!

  • The committee launched a full-dress inquiry into the company's finances.

  • There was a full-dress debate in parliament over the new policy.

  • We had a full-dress rehearsal before the opening night.

  • The conference will be a full-dress event, complete with formal attire and a sit-down dinner.

  • The planning committee is organizing a full-dress gala to celebrate the organization's anniversary.

Antonyms

partial
203 3.4

Not complete and only in some parts

superficial
94 5.6

Not thorough and only about what is obvious, not deep

How Thorough

full-dress
  • Formal
7.2
comprehensive
298 4.6
thorough
205 4.6
partial
203 3.4
sketchy
33 7.0

Surface Forms

full-dress positive

Morphology

full-dress = full + dress (semi-transparent) = full + dress

The phrase is compounded from 'full' + 'dress' but used metaphorically to mean 'with full formality or thoroughness', an extension learners may not fully infer from the literal clothing sense.

Etymology

Full-dress also combines full and dress to give a sense of being 'complete' or 'with everything in place', like wearing all the parts of a uniform. That's why a full-dress inquiry, debate, or rehearsal is done with full formality and all the details attended to.