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formal system

British  

noun

  1. Also called: formal theory.   formal calculuslogic an uninterpreted symbolic system whose syntax is precisely defined, and on which a relation of deducibility is defined in purely syntactic terms; a logistic system Compare formal language

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It is still too early to say whether there will be a more formal system for ships to seek guidance on whether they can cross the Strait of Hormuz, maritime analysts said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

In a separate motion, which also passed unanimously, Park called for establishing a formal system in which DWP provides the L.A.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 14, 2025

Dr Brandenburg explains that in Germany there is no formal system for creating a coalition.

From BBC • Sep. 28, 2021

The revelation is that corporate America is built less on a formal system of laws and rules and norms than on an elaborate and expensive set of mechanisms for getting around that formal system.

From Slate • Mar. 29, 2018

This somewhat precise and pedantic scheme of study I have adopted from no love of rigid or formal system, but simply to make the method of my critical process as clear as the design. 

From A Study of Shakespeare by Gosse, Edmund

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