I'm writing about cultural differences – not for scientific purposes – and am trying to find out about more and less formal ways of saying goodbye in English.
- On a scale of formality (from least to most formal), where would you put "goodbye", "bye-bye", "bye", "take care" and "cheers"?
- What would you use in a formal context (e.g. business meeting with 'important' people in the company/decision-makers, etc.)?
I'm mostly interested in answers relating to American and British English, but any other varieties are welcome as well.
Best Answer
British English native speaker: Out of those options, I'd put goodbye most formal, followed by bye and take care around equal, then bye-bye. Cheers is a synonym for thanks, and I wouldn't use it as a salutation.
In the context you've described (not sure I'd call it 'formal'; perhaps 'business' or something like that), probably something like bye, goodbye, take care, good to meet you, see you soon, thanks for taking the time etc..