informally
Americanadverb
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in a casual manner, without formality.
Some folks still dress to the nines in formal gowns and tuxedos, but most people dress more informally.
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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.
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in a way that is not orchestrated or arranged.
Hallways and pedestrian bridges joining the buildings provide spaces for researchers to interact informally.
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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
Etymology
Origin of informally
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.
He said this was agreed "informally" via text messages but the phones used to send the texts had gone missing when his house was searched by investigators.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
The key to the success of the method -- which the team informally dubbed "helping hands" -- is the transfer of healthy photosynthetic algae, also known as symbionts, from which corals derive their color.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Paleontologists have sometimes informally called zhelestids "Cretaceous rabbits" because they resembled rabbits despite being only distantly related to modern ones.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026
Redwood’s Berkeley office was already informally known as Constellation, and would later spin off into its own nonprofit, where Redwood continues to work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
After their arrival in New York City, the “Mount-Pleasant State Prison,” informally known as Sing Sing, was their first stop.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
