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
Job listings have become so formulaic that even strong candidates scroll past them without a second look.
—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
23 June 2026
Built in the 1830s, the 25-foot-wide home was completely reimagined by Yellowtrees Studio, resulting in a thoughtful blend of historic character and contemporary design that avoids both museum-like preservation and the formulaic feel of a luxury flip.
—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
12 June 2026
Well, people have always written schlocky or formulaic books.
—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
10 June 2026
As such, they have been called formulaic.
—
Laura Payne,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
3 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for formulaic
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
23 June 2026
Built in the 1830s, the 25-foot-wide home was completely reimagined by Yellowtrees Studio, resulting in a thoughtful blend of historic character and contemporary design that avoids both museum-like preservation and the formulaic feel of a luxury flip.
—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
12 June 2026
Well, people have always written schlocky or formulaic books.
—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
10 June 2026
As such, they have been called formulaic.
—
Laura Payne,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
3 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for formulaic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for formulaic
Adjective
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The word is likely imitative (onomatopoeic), echoing the sound of heavy breathing during sleep.
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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.
Adjective
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The film's trailer looked unoriginal and uninteresting.
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The first stage began in July 2025, when Meta announced comprehensive measures targeting accounts that repeatedly share unoriginal content without meaningful enhancement, building on enforcement actions that had already been taken against 500,000 accounts in the first half of the year.
Cite this Entry
“Formulaic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/formulaic. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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