Sometimes when I look up the meaning of a word in google, like just now for "gustatory", not only do I get what part of speech it is but also added information, such as that it's a "formal" adjective.
Were I to look for the meaning of, say, "delicious", there will be no additional note.
But were I to look up a word like "cerulean", this time the added information will remind me that it's a "literary" adjective.
Which brings me to the question, what is the difference between formal and literary? Does it mean that if I write a poem, I should use "cerulean" but if I'm writing a letter to a local politician, then I should use "gustatory"?
Another question would be where can I find a list of everyday adjectives versus formal adjectives versus literary adjectives?
Thank you very much for your help!
Best Answer
As I see it, literary means that it is more often found in books, novels, and such. You wouldn't hear it very often in spoken conversation.
Formal means that it is used in a context of formality -politicians, speeches, research studies...- , AND it could be both literary or spoken conversation.
I am not sure where you can find a list like that, but if you have a background in any other romance language, as a general rule, words that come from latin and greek tend to be more formal / literary, and words that come from germanic roots are usually more colloquial.