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
Similarly, structured equity entails hammering out a capital solution specific to each company; there is no formulaic approach.
—
Mike Terwilliger, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2025
Onscreen, those priorities can translate into movies that feel at once formulaic and improbable.
—Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
Whether that stemmed more from the lack of roster depth or from Malone’s formulaic rotations is up for debate.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 16 Oct. 2025
The first act is formulaic and its plot direction and obvious romantic couplings are forecast from the start.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for formulaic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for formulaic
Adjective
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Since then, whenever new tools to crank out communications have become available, somebody has flooded the zone with the fastest, most imitative material that could garner attention.—
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It may be borrowed or coined, named after a person, inspired by a place or imitative of a sound.—
Adjective
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This makes your home feel intentional and personal instead of sterile and unoriginal.—
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This seems a rather unoriginal name to be chosen by a woman whose talent lay with words.—
Cite this Entry
“Formulaic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/formulaic. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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