1. Explicitly stated regulations or guidelines that must be followed in official, structured, or legal contexts
The company established formal rules for employee conduct in the workplace.
A empresa estabeleceu regras formais para a conduta dos funcionários no local de trabalho.
2. Standardized procedures or protocols in academic, legal, or institutional settings
The university has formal rules regarding plagiarism and academic integrity.
A universidade tem regras formais sobre plágio e integridade acadêmica.
3. In logic or mathematics, explicitly defined operations and constraints
The formal rules of grammar must be followed in academic writing.
As regras formais da gramática devem ser seguidas na escrita acadêmica.