formulaic
adjective
for·mu·la·ic
ˌfȯr-myə-ˈlā-ik 
1
: produced according to a formula or set of formulas : adhering to set forms or conventions
a formulaic response
a movie with a formulaic plot
… much of the will's language was formulaic, in accordance with Venetian customs.—
Laurence Bergreen
Laurence BergreenThe film … uses simple, formulaic storytelling to spin the tale of Bella, a rescued pit bull who makes her way home after a two-year walkabout.—Katie Walsh
Katie Walsh2
: of or relating to a mathematical formula
Those projections prompted the department to evaluate the state tax withholding tables. In September, the department found the formulaic error that had apparently been there, undetected, for at least 15 years.—Kathryn Palmer
Kathryn Palmer
formulaically
adverb
… his songs still stick formulaically to the surface of pop entertainments.
—David Sargent
David Sargent
The price of admission to local social functions is often expressed formulaically as 'Gentlemen $2, ladies a plate', meaning a plate of scones or the like.
—Robert Burchfield
Robert Burchfield
Examples of formulaic in a Sentence
she thought the plots of most action movies were pretty formulaic
Recent Examples on the Web
What the unpaid toll scam texts look like Scam texts are often formulaic in nature with some variations.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2025
Maximum employment isn’t formulaic and can’t be readily calculated.
—Erik Sherman, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
The point is not to be lifelike or fact-based but familiar and formulaic—in a word, predictable.
—Namwali Serpell, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2025
But often, these decisions result in the kind of formulaic narratives fans bemoan—even among the most dedicated franchise fans.
—Bing Chen, TIME, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for formulaic
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Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 12 Mar. 2025
Maximum employment isn’t formulaic and can’t be readily calculated.
—Erik Sherman, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
The point is not to be lifelike or fact-based but familiar and formulaic—in a word, predictable.
—Namwali Serpell, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2025
But often, these decisions result in the kind of formulaic narratives fans bemoan—even among the most dedicated franchise fans.
—Bing Chen, TIME, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for formulaic
Cite this Entry
“Formulaic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/formulaic. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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