How to Use formality in a Sentence

formality

noun

• They haven't approved the loan yet, but that's just a mere formality.
• Her use of old-fashioned language lends an air of formality to her writing.
• He failed to appreciate the formality of the occasion.
• Once Turpin hit the spin move, the rest of the play was a formality.
  — Saad Yousuf, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024
• By the ninth, the lead had ballooned to 21-12 and the last three outs seemed a formality.
  — Joe Freeman, oregonlive, 29 May 2022
• By that point, the outcome of the game was a formality.
  — James Boyd, The Indianapolis Star, 25 Mar. 2022
• The vote is something of a formality given that the deal is on hold while the court case plays out.
  — Marcy Gordon, Chicago Tribune, 12 Sep. 2022
• The top ski rentals from Aspen to the French Alps now shun formality.
  — Tom Weijand, Robb Report, 15 Feb. 2024
• The requests lent an air of formality to a process condemned by the West.
  — Eric Nagourney, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2022
• The pumpkins create the homey, fall look, but a sleek glass dome adds a touch of class and formality.
  — Emily Vanschmus, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Oct. 2023
• Still, there are linens on the tables, gratis bread, servers in vests and ties — a dash of formality for not a lot of bank.
  — Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 25 Nov. 2019
• And there was a sort of formality about being the captain.
  — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2023
• The Braves placed Hamels on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Sept. 18, but that was a mere formality.
  — Paul Newberry, orlandosentinel.com, 22 Sep. 2020
• But there was no way a night like this could end with mere formalities.
  — David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2024
• At the start of the night, Game 5 of this opening-round playoff series against the Hawks seemed like a formality.
  — Adam Himmelsbach, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Apr. 2023
• But there’s a dense, formality to Muñoz’s paintings that speaks to his penchant for the Baroque.
  — Stacie Stukin, ARTnews.com, 24 Dec. 2024
• Some of the strands have tiny tassels to add a touch of formality to a banister.
  — oregonlive, 28 Nov. 2020
• Trump will try to make that final step more than a formality, of course.
  — John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2020
• By the final buzzer, those two things seemed like a mere formality.
  — al, 25 Nov. 2022
• Chen basked in the spotlight in the middle of the ice, then headed off to hear his scores, which by that point were a mere formality.
  — Dave Skretta, chicagotribune.com, 10 Feb. 2022
• Of course, that was mostly a formality after the season that the Suns have had.
  — Andy Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 29 Apr. 2021
• Little Miami sprinted to a 35-0 lead, and from there the rest of the evening was a mere formality.
  — Adam Baum, The Enquirer, 19 Sep. 2020
• That is a counterbalance to the formality of the suits.
  — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 10 Oct. 2019
• In past years, that process has often been viewed as a formality.
  — Liz Navratil, Star Tribune, 21 July 2021
• McKinley has been on the job for several months, so the move was a mere formality.
  — cleveland, 11 Nov. 2021
• The handsome men still put plates in front of both of us, the formality, but Leigh Anne would listen to the description, nod, and then push it to me.
  — Kevin Wilson, Bon Appétit, 9 Feb. 2022
• By the time Talawanda scored with 7:44 left in the contest, playing out the game was just a formality.
  — Alex Harrison, The Enquirer, 17 Oct. 2020
• The more likely scenario is that this is just a formality.
  — Nate Atkins, The Indianapolis Star, 24 Apr. 2023
• If every meeting is a mere formality, then the spirit of agile is lost.
  — Federico Imparatta, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025
• Talbot would not be pronounced dead until he was removed to a hospital, but that was a formality.
  — Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 15 Feb. 2025