formality
noun /fɔːˈmæləti/
/fɔːrˈmæləti/
(plural formalities)
- [countable, usually plural] a thing that you must do as a formal or official part of a legal process, a social situation, etc.
正式手续 - to go through all the formalities necessary in order to get a gun licence
办理取得持枪执照的全部必要手续 - Let's skip the formalities and get down to business.
咱们省去繁文缛节，开始讨论实质问题吧。 - It only took a few minutes to complete the legal formalities.
完成法律手续只花了几分钟。
Collocations Dictionaryadjective- mere
- customs
- legal
- …
- complete
- deal with
- go through
- …
- just a formality
- merely a formality
- only a formality
- …
- to go through all the formalities necessary in order to get a gun licence
- [countable, usually singular] a thing that you must do as part of an official process, but that has little meaning and will not affect what happens
例行公事 - He already knows he has the job so the interview is a mere formality.
他已知道得到了这个工作，所以面试仅仅是走走过场。 - Your acceptance into the club will be a mere formality.
只需要办一个简单的手续你就可以加入俱乐部。
Collocations Dictionaryadjective- mere
- customs
- legal
- …
- complete
- deal with
- go through
- …
- just a formality
- merely a formality
- only a formality
- …
- He already knows he has the job so the interview is a mere formality.
- [uncountable] correct and formal behaviour
遵守礼节 - Different levels of formality are appropriate in different situations.
不同规格的礼节适用于不同场合。 - She greeted him with stiff formality.
她拘谨地按礼节向他致意。
- She preferred to maintain a cool formality in her dealings with her manager.
她选择与经理保持一种公事公办的关系。 - She couldn't help smiling at the formality of his words.
她对他的拘谨话语忍不住笑了。
Collocations Dictionaryadjective- stiff
- degree
- level
- maintain
- Different levels of formality are appropriate in different situations.
词源mid 16th cent. (in the sense ‘accordance with legal rules or conventions’): from French formalité or medieval Latin formalitas, from formalis, from forma ‘shape, mould’.