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Glite Dictionary
white-tie

white-tie

1 8.0
Evening dress so formal that men wear white bow ties and tailcoats
  • adjective
  • /ˈwaɪt taɪ/
  • Formal
translation icon : de etiqueta
  • He wore a white-tie outfit to the gala.

Examples

  • The charity gala was a white-tie affair with guests dressed in their most elegant evening wear.

  • He rented a tailcoat for his first-ever white-tie event.

  • Only ambassadors and dignitaries were invited to the exclusive white-tie dinner at the palace.

  • The invitation specified a white-tie dress code.

  • The gala dinner will be a formal affair, so please dress in white-tie attire.

  • Attending a white-tie event requires men to wear a tailcoat and a white bow tie.

  • The invitation specified that guests should arrive in white-tie, making it the most elegant occasion of the year.

Synonyms

white tie
vswhite-tie
  • Formal
2 7.0

A very formal men's evening dress code requiring a white bow tie and tailcoat

is the official label for the highest level of evening formality
white tie and tails
vswhite-tie
  • Formal
1 8.1

A very formal evening outfit for men with a white bow tie, white waistcoat, black tailcoat, and matching trousers

uses a dress code concept rather than listing exact garment pieces

How Formal

white-tie
  • Formal
1 8.0
black-tie
  • Formal
11 4.4
formal
1 3.5
semi-formal
1 3.8
business suit
16 1.8
casual
81 1.3

Surface Forms

white-tie positive

Morphology

white-tie = white + tie (semi-transparent) = white + tie

The components 'white' and 'tie' are clear, but the compound serves as a conventional label for a formal dress code rather than a literal description of an item.

Etymology

White-tie comes from the real white bow tie men wore with a tailcoat at very formal evening events. So the parts white and tie are literal, and that's why white-tie means the 'most formal' dress code.