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
His films, often kitschy and formulaic, nonetheless became part of the cultural fabric for a generation who saw Hulk Hogan not just as a wrestling icon, but as a bona fide movie star.
—Hannah Parry
amanda Castro
joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 July 2025
Like most great underdog stories, Rudy is sentimental and a bit formulaic.
—Sophie Van Bastelaer, EW.com, 7 July 2025
But here’s an inconvenient truth: Many of those best practices are stale, formulaic and disconnected from how people actually experience email in 2025.
—Deboshree Sarkar, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025
An entertaining read, though the plots of the books in the series have become a bit formulaic.
—Barbara Ellis, Denver Post, 6 July 2025
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Hannah Parry
amanda Castro
joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 July 2025
Like most great underdog stories, Rudy is sentimental and a bit formulaic.
—Sophie Van Bastelaer, EW.com, 7 July 2025
But here’s an inconvenient truth: Many of those best practices are stale, formulaic and disconnected from how people actually experience email in 2025.
—Deboshree Sarkar, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025
An entertaining read, though the plots of the books in the series have become a bit formulaic.
—Barbara Ellis, Denver Post, 6 July 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 29 Jul. 2025.
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