as in imitative
using or marked by the use of something else as a basis or model
she thought the plots of most action movies were pretty formulaic
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Recent Examples of formulaic
What the unpaid toll scam texts look like Scam texts are often formulaic in nature with some variations.
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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
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 Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/formulaic. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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