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
All this suggests that A.I. culture could submerge human originality in a sea of unmotivated, formulaic art.
—
Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
However, despite the model appearing somewhat formulaic, Kishton emphasized that collaborative care programs vary across institutions.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 2025
For decades, a traditional (and, at times, formulaic) sound defined and powered regional Mexican music, the umbrella term that includes subgenres like banda, norteño and mariachi.
—Griselda Flores, Billboard, 14 Aug. 2025
This flexibility has resulted in programming that feels more organic and less formulaic than in previous eras.
—Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for formulaic
Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
However, despite the model appearing somewhat formulaic, Kishton emphasized that collaborative care programs vary across institutions.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 2025
For decades, a traditional (and, at times, formulaic) sound defined and powered regional Mexican music, the umbrella term that includes subgenres like banda, norteño and mariachi.
—Griselda Flores, Billboard, 14 Aug. 2025
This flexibility has resulted in programming that feels more organic and less formulaic than in previous eras.
—Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for formulaic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for formulaic
Adjective
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Conversations in dorm rooms and lecture halls consist of roughly 97% university-loathing and imitative protests to fire coaches and athletic directors.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
30 Sep. 2025
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Third-party imitative learning from an immigrating parrot’s flockmates may facilitate overall group integration and social bonding and may even give rise to cultural conventions of coordinated movements or gestures.—
GrrlScientist,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In sales, trust is currency, and nothing burns trust faster than sounding unoriginal, lazy or shady.—
Don Markland,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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Meta said unoriginal content is when images or videos are reused without crediting the original creator.—
Zach Vallese,
CNBC,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Formulaic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/formulaic. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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