FORMALISTIC Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

formalistic

adjective

Definition of formalistic

as in ritual

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of formalistic In overruling Humphrey’s, the Roberts Court is solidifying a formalistic version of the separation of powers that narrows congressional power while expanding presidential power. — George Thomas, The Atlantic, 30 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for formalistic

Adjective

But partisanship surfaced even in the ritual public mourning for the two women.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026
Behind every bottle lies a world shaped by ritual and inheritance, and by those striving to preserve or transform it.

— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of ritual

Adjective

There is something almost ritualistic about people gathering around music, dancing together and sharing the same energy.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2026
The video for it, projected at large scale in a gallery space lined with a red textile woven with the song’s musical score, follows a ritualistic procession including Björk through an Icelandic valley.

— Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of ritualistic

Adjective

There is a seductive argument for a more systematic approach in the interests of greater consistency, but the issue rarely arises and gets lost among more pressing matters.

— Graham Scott, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
However, the site had never been subjected to systematic scientific exploration and documentation, lending particular significance to the mission’s work.

— Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of systematic

Adjective

Amendment is so essential to the American constitutional tradition, so methodical and so entire a conception of endurance through adaptation, that it can best be described as a philosophy.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
Bezos would begin building the infrastructure needed to boldly go where no man had gone before through methodical, incremental improvement—customer obsession applied to space.

— Jacob Weisberg, Vanity Fair, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of methodical

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formal

formalistic

formalities

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“Formalistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/formalistic. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of formalistic

adjective

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