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 of formulaic

• imitative
• unoriginal
• imitation

Examples of formulaic in a Sentence

she thought the plots of most action movies were pretty formulaic

Recent Examples on the Web

Growing up, Ahmed recalls his parents watching Indian soap operas, which were formulaic and often featured family events with everyone dressed in their finest garb, inevitably ending in a dramatic bust-up. — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026

Barnes & Noble had just been taken private by Elliott Advisors for $683 million after sales declines driven by formulaic stores that had lost their charm. — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2026

Grant writing offers a predictable, formulaic path to cash flow compared to the unpredictable grind of B2B sales or direct-to-consumer acquisition. — Allbusiness, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026

Instead of the formulaic increases that determine ATP 500 prize money, there is a minimum prize money total required for WTA 500s as determined each year by the WTA, but tournaments can voluntarily exceed those amounts. — Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 31 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for formulaic

• altaic
• archaic
• deltaic
• hebraic
• mosaic
• oleic
• prosaic
• trochaic
• voltaic
• algebraic
• aramaic
• ptolemaic