as in ritual
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for formalistic
Adjective
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When Obama met Trump for a ritual pre-Inauguration visit to the Oval Office, he was struck by how unschooled and incurious the President-elect was.—
Peter Slevin,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026 -
Hours after the terrifying rampage, a similar fatal incident took place at Koodalminikyam Temple in Irinjalakuda when an elephant that had shown signs of restlessness during a ritual procession the night before broke out of its enclosure and attacked its handlers, per News Karnataka.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
3 May 2026
Adjective
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Chang often worked with a near-ritualistic discipline, his systematic processes opening onto moments of wonder.—
Emily Watlington,
ARTnews.com,
1 May 2026
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After all, the dance floor is a ritualistic space.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
1 May 2026
Adjective
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Reparations will support education, economic aid and mental health services, with programs specifically targeting women and girls who endured systematic persecution by extremists in Timbuktu.—
Molly Quell,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
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China’s systematic and unrelenting rise China’s R&D spending milestone caps a series of achievements that have arrived in rapid succession.—
Caroline Wagner,
The Conversation,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Vasavada, who has witnessed NASA’s methodical approach to searching for evidence of ancient water and past habitability on Mars, believes returning samples is the only way to complete this multidecade quest for answers.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
24 Apr. 2026
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Gamre’s audacious but methodical cocktails form the heart of the experience.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Formalistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/formalistic. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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