formal look
1
3.4
- noun
:
estilo formal
- 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
3.6
Clothes for special events in the evening, like suits or long dresses
3
3.8
Clothes worn for formal evening events, like a suit or long dress
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.