informally

American  

[in-fawr-muh-lee] / ɪnˈfɔr mə li /

adverb

1. in a casual manner, without formality.

   Some folks still dress to the nines in formal gowns and tuxedos, but most people dress more informally.

2. in a way that does not involve or follow prescribed procedures or go through formal or official channels.

   Cases of minor misconduct or unsatisfactory performance are usually best dealt with informally.

3. in a way that is not orchestrated or arranged.

   Hallways and pedestrian bridges joining the buildings provide spaces for researchers to interact informally.

4. using familiar, casual, or ordinary speech or writing.

   We use different registers, speaking more informally with family and friends out of the classroom than when discussing academics within the classroom.

---

Other Word Forms

• quasi-informally adverb
• superinformally adverb

Etymology

Origin of informally

informal ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

In this alternate past, a fatal blood virus, known informally as the Red Wind, has been ravaging the population for about a decade.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

Milei’s financiers have started informally dickering with investors over pricing the next issue, which should fly around current yields in a market hungry for emerging market exposure, Grills predicts.

From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026

Retirees often help with rent, student loans, child care, healthcare or emergency expenses, sometimes informally and without clear limits.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 18, 2026

An email from the accountancy firm PwC said that creditors were "informally" offered 25p in the pound.

From BBC • Feb. 11, 2026

Hollander, a reading enrichment teacher, shaped her lessons around robust literature—her classes met in small groups and talked informally about what they had read.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

Related Words

• commonly
• consistently
• easily
• generally
• instinctively
• normally
• simply
• spontaneously
• typically
• uniformly
• usually