formally

adverb

Definition of formallynext
as in carefully

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of formally If the jury still cannot make a decision, the judge can choose to formally give them a special set of instructions known in Massachusetts as the Tuey-Rodriguez charge, which comes from two Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court cases. — Melina Khan, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026 Both taught me that leadership must be developed internally, expressed authentically and demonstrated before it is formally recognized. — Bala Sathyanarayanan, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026 The Smithsonian Institution formally selected an existing building to house the National Museum of the American Latino, avoiding congressional approval. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 1 Sep. 2026 Jacobs was formally charged Thursday with misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor criminal damage to property, stemming from the May 23 incident at his home near Green Bay. — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026 Yet the Department of Military Counterintelligence—formally responsible for detecting foreign spies within the armed forces—has also been involved in many cases, reflecting the growing dependence of Russian industries on military contracts. — Andrei Soldatov, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026 West Sacramento has worked with the same trash hauler, WM, formally known as Waste Management, for decades. — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2026 Iran is determined to smother any internal unrest Rezaei’s appointment came in a recent set of decrees by the supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, that formally set Iran’s new senior leadership, including top military posts. — Lee Keath, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026 White formally declared for the draft in a letter sent to the WNBA league office by his attorney, former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz. — Jackson Thompson , Patricia Babcock McGraw Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for formally
  1. carefully
  2. systematically
  3. orderly
  4. gingerly
  5. meticulously
  6. methodically
  7. deliberately
Adverb
  • Dry food can also work, but portions should be weighed carefully rather than left out for unlimited grazing.
    — Lauren Paige Richeson, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Each flower must be picked and carefully dissected to remove three tiny red threads, known as stigmas.
    — Callie Zanandrie, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of carefully
Adverb
  • County investigators say the insurer systematically underpaid and suppressed smoke-damage claims, leaving families unable to afford toxin testing or remediation and turning insurance into a barrier to long-term recovery.
    — Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The tenant, in other words, is systematically choosing counterparties that are younger than its own product line.
    — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of systematically
Adverb
  • The man worked as a hospital orderly, according to the AP.
    — Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 24 June 2026
  • Policymakers have moved to keep the selloff orderly.
    — Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Definition of orderly
Adverb
  • Then, as Cerúndolo prepared to serve, Sinner grimaced, took a few gingerly steps, and stretched his apparently cramping legs.
    — Eric Klinenberg, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The three-time All-Star gingerly walked past her team’s bench and straight to the locker room.
    — James Boyd, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of gingerly
Adverb
  • Instead, his navy jersey, meticulously embroidered with a white number 16 hangs unfettered with his unworn Bears helmet resting on a shelf above.
    — Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Social media users have spent the last month meticulously gluing rhinestones to everyday objects, including coffee cups, skincare, phone cases, and even puppies.
    — Sarah Glodek, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of meticulously
Adverb
  • Even as the hard power of DEI is stripped methodically away, many changes that occurred in the era leading up to Trump’s second term remain exceedingly difficult to revoke.
    — Charles Finch, The Atlantic, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Waymo has also been methodically placing itself within entertainment culture.
    — Melinda Sheckells, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of methodically
Adverb
  • Smotrich and his partners have dispersed new settlements in places with high tactical importance, deliberately separating areas under Palestinian control to disrupt the territorial continuity that could one day form the basis of a Palestinian state.
    — Amos Harel, Foreign Affairs, 2 Sep. 2026
  • In other words, the curtains were part of the plan, not a last-minute attempt to conceal thousands of empty seats — and Carlile was working within an arena deliberately reshaped to fit the occasion.
    — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of deliberately

Browse Nearby Words

formalizing
formally
formals
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Cite this Entry

“Formally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/formally. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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