formalistic

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.

The argument advanced by the IRS is a formalistic one that results in an absurdity: Cryptocurrency wasn’t explicitly included in the list of items that meet the “readily valued property” exemption to the appraisal rules.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026

It’s foundational and it’s formalistic, but it’s not going anywhere.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 8, 2024

As a filmmaker, Hogg is a seemingly incongruous blend of free-flowing and formalistic.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 27, 2021

The culture minister’s committee recommended in 2020 that the “balance” test be abandoned and called for a more empathetic approach, saying that the restitutions committee needed to become less formalistic in its responses to claims.

From New York Times • Aug. 26, 2021

There is still, compared with Beethoven, a huge amount of formalistic padding; but so far as he dared and could, he was loading his rifts with ore.

From Haydn by Runciman, John F.