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
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
Marsden as the swoony male rom-com lead may be reason enough to watch, but for anyone still on the fence, 27 Dresses delivers the cheesy, formulaic juice to satisfy your need for that inevitable happily-ever-after.
—James Mercadante, EW.com, 10 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
Villeneuve has established himself as one of his generation’s great blockbuster auteurs, capable of applying a distinct artistic vision to massive studio projects based on pre-existing I.P. in an era that’s frequently derided for its formulaic output.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for formulaic
Griselda Flores, Billboard, 14 Aug. 2025
Marsden as the swoony male rom-com lead may be reason enough to watch, but for anyone still on the fence, 27 Dresses delivers the cheesy, formulaic juice to satisfy your need for that inevitable happily-ever-after.
—James Mercadante, EW.com, 10 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
Villeneuve has established himself as one of his generation’s great blockbuster auteurs, capable of applying a distinct artistic vision to massive studio projects based on pre-existing I.P. in an era that’s frequently derided for its formulaic output.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for formulaic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for formulaic
Adjective
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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
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In addition to thinking about how to escape John’s imitative poetry and scholasticism, Constantine had to consider his own future.—
Gregory Jusdanis,
Literary Hub,
12 Aug. 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 30 Sep. 2025.
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