stiff formality

Examples (10)

• The reception began with a stiff formality that made small talk awkward.
• She maintained a stiff formality in emails to clients, even when they wrote casually.
• There was a stiff formality to the award ceremony, with no applause allowed.
• He adopted a stiff formality whenever he dealt with senior executives.
• We tried to break the stiff formality of the meeting with a quick icebreaker.
• Their conversation carried a stiff formality that suggested lingering tension.
• Over dinner, the stiff formality gradually gave way to laughter.
• The new manager's stiff formality has alienated some of the team.
• If you show stiff formality at interviews, you may seem distant.
• The proceedings were conducted with stiff formality, as tradition demanded.