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
This flexibility has resulted in programming that feels more organic and less formulaic than in previous eras.
—
Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 8 Aug. 2025
As part of this, S&P applies a formulaic and technical criteria when analyzing these transactions, which has led to a downgrade of Saks Global’s credit rating.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 9 July 2025
Like most great underdog stories, Rudy is sentimental and a bit formulaic.
—Sophie Van Bastelaer, EW.com, 7 July 2025
Based on formulaic appraisals used to calculate tax bills, the data offers a broad look at values for nearly 390,000 condo units across Miami-Dade.
—Douglas Hanks
july 5, Miami Herald, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for formulaic
Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 8 Aug. 2025
As part of this, S&P applies a formulaic and technical criteria when analyzing these transactions, which has led to a downgrade of Saks Global’s credit rating.
—Evan Clark, Footwear News, 9 July 2025
Like most great underdog stories, Rudy is sentimental and a bit formulaic.
—Sophie Van Bastelaer, EW.com, 7 July 2025
Based on formulaic appraisals used to calculate tax bills, the data offers a broad look at values for nearly 390,000 condo units across Miami-Dade.
—Douglas Hanks
july 5, Miami Herald, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for formulaic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for formulaic
Adjective
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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
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In Roeck’s picture, competitive, rather than imitative, habits of mind rose from religious warfare, establishing a cutthroat system of cultural and economic innovation which lasts to this day.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
28 July 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 9 Sep. 2025.
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