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
Unfortunately, those lofty first-act ambitions give way to something much more formulaic, as Buzz joins forces with the usual ragtag bunch of misfits to battle the evil Emperor Zurg.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 20 June 2025
The research also exposes the cognitive challenges that come with reviewing highly formulaic, repetitive documents.
—Lars Daniel, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025
In the end, his beautiful story solutions are formulaic fixes laid over those details, meant to do little more than the eternal work of cajoling the audience into rooting for the leading players.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 9 June 2025
And while plot momentum sometimes suffers from an over-dependance on a formulaic structure, the show is refreshingly light and life-affirming – especially for viewers who may see some of themselves in Murderbot's cold detachment from humanity.
—Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for formulaic
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Richard Edwards, Space.com, 20 June 2025
The research also exposes the cognitive challenges that come with reviewing highly formulaic, repetitive documents.
—Lars Daniel, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025
In the end, his beautiful story solutions are formulaic fixes laid over those details, meant to do little more than the eternal work of cajoling the audience into rooting for the leading players.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 9 June 2025
And while plot momentum sometimes suffers from an over-dependance on a formulaic structure, the show is refreshingly light and life-affirming – especially for viewers who may see some of themselves in Murderbot's cold detachment from humanity.
—Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 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 Jun. 2025.
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