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

The 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

2

: 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

formulaically

ˌfȯr-myə-ˈlā-ə-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

… his songs still stick formulaically to the surface of pop entertainments.

—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

Synonyms

• apish
• canned
• emulative
• epigonic
• epigonous
• imitative
• mimetic
• mimic
• slavish
• unoriginal

Examples of formulaic in a Sentence

she thought the plots of most action movies were pretty formulaic

Recent Examples on the Web

Nevertheless, the actress recognized that Twin Peaks was a far cry from the formulaic television of the past. —EW.com, 8 Apr. 2025

So everything in films has to be formulaic; the images and the dialogue now reinforce each other to such an absurd degree because audiences are distracted. —The New Yorker, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025

Just like when Jay suggests adding dates to Naveen’s father’s dish, what could have been a formulaic rom-com turns out to be a new recipe that should be served immediately to the whole family. —Reneysh Vittal, Them., 4 Apr. 2025

Many of the messages seemed bland or formulaic. —Adam Iscoe, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for formulaic

• algebraic
• aramaic
• ptolemaic
• syngeneic
• allogeneic
• photovoltaic
• altaic
• archaic
• deltaic
• hebraic
• mosaic
• oleic