Other Word Forms
- formulaically adverb
Etymology
Origin of formulaic
Explanation
Anything formulaic follows a formula or pattern, especially in a mechanical, by-the-numbers way. A formulaic TV show is predictable and probably similar to lots of other shows. Have you ever noticed how many songs are similar to others? When a song is almost identical to previous songs and it’s not very original at all, it's formulaic. This word usually conveys a lack of imagination. If you call a movie formulaic, you're saying it's so much like other movies that it probably didn't need to be made. A formulaic speech follows a pattern that's been used many times before. The opposite of formulaic is original.
Vocabulary lists containing formulaic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Much of what the contenders said was "formulaic" but they did send some "important messages," according to Gowan.
From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026
“Kim’s Convenience” has an eager-to-please TV sensibility that can seem formulaic at times.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026
“The Housemaid” is far from the formulaic thriller its trailers and general synopsis suggest.
From Salon • Jan. 31, 2026
He showed us CCF documents that said the information Russia had provided was "generic and formulaic" and there had been an "inadequate explanation" of the alleged crime.
From BBC • Jan. 25, 2026
A sly twist on the formulaic reporting and ponderous tone of conventional obituaries.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
