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as in ritual
an oft-repeated action or series of actions performed in accordance with tradition or a set of rules churchgoers loved the formalities of a traditional Christmas Eve candlelight service

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of formality While the sale of Bell’s 37.5 percent stake in the company to Rogers Communications Inc., hasn’t yet closed, that’s viewed as a formality that will soon leave Rogers with a controlling 75 percent interest in the company. Chris Johnston, New York Times, 21 May 2025 But that formality carries over on both sides, and that was surprising to me. Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2025 Excessive flattery or formality can actually reduce response quality. Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 5 May 2025 Pleats added a touch of formality to Sunnei’s slouchy styles. Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 2 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for formality
Recent Examples of Synonyms for formality
Noun
  • Social media content featuring rude hand gestures was scrubbed from the internet.
    Stephanie Yang, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2025
  • Boxes and cylinders and prisms can no longer do that, and the lone remaining expressive gesture is to Go Weird, as architects strain for enough distinctiveness to produce a landmark.
    Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 6 June 2025
Noun
  • When your workday ends, physically close your laptop, turn off work notifications and transition into personal time with intentional rituals.
    Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
  • Different communities worship different icons and have different ways of performing the rituals.
    Foster Klug, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2025
Noun
  • In April 2024, the British royal attended a fashion sustainability panel in London, wearing a design courtesy of Gabriela Hearst, a designer who’s made sustainability a cornerstone of her eponymous label’s mission.
    Julia Teti, Footwear News, 13 June 2025
  • The next one is courtesy of a cop on Wednesday evening.
    Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 13 June 2025
Noun
  • Unlike Florida that typically only meets for 60 days, then holds a ceremony signalling the official end of the legislative session, New York does not officially gavel the session closed.
    Jon McGowan, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
  • That honor belongs to John (Chris Evans), a cater waiter working the ceremony.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 June 2025
Noun
  • In addition to Ducasse’s culinary mastery, offering a cohesive experience that encompasses the liveried staff in period costumes and the ceremonial is part and parcel of the success of the banquet, according to Révah.
    Lily Templeton, WWD, 20 Feb. 2025
  • For those who missed the game, most of the Chiefs’ scores came in garbage time; the lopsided affair was 24-0 at halftime, and the Eagles’ first score was a ceremonial Jalen Hurts Tush Push.
    Jess Bryant, The Athletic, 10 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • While the documents do not say what the ship's new name would be, the proposal comes during Pride Month, the monthlong observance of the LGBTQ+ community that also coincides with the anniversary of the Stonewall uprising of 1969.
    James LaPorta, CBS News, 3 June 2025
  • The origins of Memorial Day date to 1868, although it was then known as Decoration Day, and observance gradually spread throughout the states.
    Chloe Mayer, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Formality.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/formality. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.

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