informal
Not by protocol
Informal describes situations, language, or behavior that is relaxed and casual rather than official or ceremonial.
An informal gathering lacks rigid structure.
Informal dress means no suit required.
Informal speech includes contractions, slang, and sentence fragments that would be out of place in formal writing.
We kept the meeting informal.
Calm and unhurried
- easygoingRelaxed in temperament
- relaxedFree of stress
- breezyMildly windy, or nonchalant
- nonchalantCalmly unconcerned
carefree · unpretentious · unfussy · comfortable · low-key · chill · mellow · loose
Showing kindness, warmth
- approachableEasy to engage with
- warmModerately heated, or friendly
- welcomingReceiving others warmly
- convivialSociable and cheerful
amiable · affable · personable · outgoing · genial · cordial · neighborly · accessible
Relating to informal dialogue
- slangInformal in-group vocabulary
- vernacularEveryday regional speech
- idiomaticCharacteristic of natural speech
- chattyInclined to converse freely
everyday speech · colloquialism · dialect · lingo · spoken · familiar · unpolished · plain-spoken
Not for attribution
- impromptuWithout advance preparation
- ad-hocFor a specific purpose
- unsanctionedNot officially permitted
- unauthorizedNot officially permitted
unscheduled · back-channel · undocumented · unannounced · off-the-books · unregulated · extracurricular · behind-the-scenes
laid-back
Calm and unhurried
nonchalant · carefree · unpretentious · unfussy · comfortable · low-key · chill · mellow · loose · unstructured
friendly
Showing kindness, warmth
- approachableEasy to engage with
- warmModerately heated, or friendly
- welcomingReceiving others warmly
convivial · amiable · affable · personable · outgoing · genial · cordial · neighborly · accessible · gregarious
conversational
Relating to informal dialogue
- slangInformal in-group vocabulary
- vernacularEveryday regional speech
- idiomaticCharacteristic of natural speech
chatty · everyday speech · colloquialism · dialect · lingo · spoken · familiar · unpolished · plain-spoken · folksy
off-the-record
Not for attribution
- impromptuWithout advance preparation
- ad-hocFor a specific purpose
- unsanctionedNot officially permitted
unauthorized · unscheduled · back-channel · undocumented · unannounced · off-the-books · unregulated · extracurricular · behind-the-scenes · word-of-mouth
- mannersetiquette, manners, polite, rude, politeness
- event adjectivesannual, scheduled, planned, recurring, upcoming
- Language Wordsverbal, oral, written, spoken, fluent
- writing stylesminimalism, maximalism, concise, descriptive, narrative
- casual thingscasual wear, relaxed, laid-back, easygoing, chill
- dressed statesdressed, undressed, clothed, unclothed, naked
informalformal
Following strict protocol
ceremonial · ceremonious · stiff · proper · dressy
- too much informationUnwanted personal disclosure
- personal informationIdentifying details about someone
- contact informationDetails for reaching someone
- for your information
- informed decisionChoice made with facts
- inside informationConfidential knowledge from sources
information, informed, misinformation, uninformed, informative, informally, informality, informational, disinformation