form-only

1. 1.

   being a matter of form only; lacking substance

   “a form-only requirement that is usually ignored”

   Similarformal

Questions about form-only

What does form-only mean?

form-only means "being a matter of form only; lacking substance".

How many syllables are in form-only?

form-only has 3 syllables and divides as for-m-on-ly under the regular spelling rules. It is not in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, so that comes from how the word is written rather than from a recorded pronunciation, and no stress or phonetic transcription is claimed for it.

Is form-only a common word?

form-only is banded "Uncommon" — turns up in careful writing rather than conversation. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.