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
Nevertheless, the actress recognized that Twin Peaks was a far cry from the formulaic television of the past.
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EW.com, 8 Apr. 2025
So everything in films has to be formulaic; the images and the dialogue now reinforce each other to such an absurd degree because audiences are distracted.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
Just like when Jay suggests adding dates to Naveen’s father’s dish, what could have been a formulaic rom-com turns out to be a new recipe that should be served immediately to the whole family.
—Reneysh Vittal, Them., 4 Apr. 2025
Many of the messages seemed bland or formulaic.
—Adam Iscoe, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for formulaic
EW.com, 8 Apr. 2025
So everything in films has to be formulaic; the images and the dialogue now reinforce each other to such an absurd degree because audiences are distracted.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
Just like when Jay suggests adding dates to Naveen’s father’s dish, what could have been a formulaic rom-com turns out to be a new recipe that should be served immediately to the whole family.
—Reneysh Vittal, Them., 4 Apr. 2025
Many of the messages seemed bland or formulaic.
—Adam Iscoe, New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for formulaic
Cite this Entry
“Formulaic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/formulaic. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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