formalism
noun
for·mal·ism
| \ ˈfȯr-mə-ˌli-zəm
\
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Definition of formalism
1
: the practice or the doctrine of strict adherence to prescribed or external forms (as in religion or art)
also
: an instance of this
2
: marked attention to arrangement, style, or artistic means (as in art or literature) usually with corresponding de-emphasis of content
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Other Words from formalism
formalist
\ ˈfȯr-mə-list
\
noun or adjective
\
noun or adjective
formalistic
\ ˌfȯr-mə-ˈli-stik
\
adjective
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adjective
Examples of formalism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
All the same, Gleason’s approach assumes some key aspects of the mathematical formalism needed to connect quantum states to specific measurement outcomes. — Quanta Magazine, "Mysterious Quantum Rule Reconstructed From Scratch," 13 Feb. 2019 D’Souza, Matheny and their colleagues applied the same potent formalism in their recent studies with NEMs. — Natalie Wolchover, WIRED, "The Math of How Crickets, Starlings, and Neurons Sync Up," 7 Apr. 2019 The papers, which ran to more than 500 pages, were written in a novel formalism and contained many new terms and definitions. — Quanta Magazine, "Hope Rekindled for Perplexing Proof," 21 Dec. 2015 In a world where genre and formalism were increasingly the reigning critical deities, Bergman's zeal for rich emotion, for dramatizing philosophical concerns and engaging with profound human questions seemed outdated at best. — Kenneth Turan, latimes.com, "Reconnecting with one-time cinema god Ingmar Bergman, subject of a major L.A. retrospective," 2 May 2018 The formalism of Thom Browne’s suiting might not seem analogous to the freedom and fury of the sports world, but Browne’s great strength as a designer is the ability to seamlessly shift between strict and spirited. — Steff Yotka, Vogue, "Thom Browne’s New Golf Capsule Collection Is a Stroke Above the Rest," 30 Oct. 2018 From one point of view, quantum physics is just a set of formalisms, a useful tool kit. — James Gleick, New York Times, "What Does Quantum Physics Actually Tell Us About the World?," 8 May 2018 Aharonov’s approach is called the two-state-vector formalism (TSVF) of quantum mechanics, and postulates quantum events are in some sense determined by quantum states not just in the past—but also in the future. — Philip Ball, Scientific American, "Quantum Physics May Be Even Spookier Than You Think," 21 May 2018 Salterini says contemporary dance is the bringing together the formalism and bravado of ballet, the earthiness of modern dance and the rhythms and syncopation of jazz dance. — Diana Dunbar, miamiherald, "Dance Now! Miami: A sense of tranquility and communality | Miami Herald," 17 Apr. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'formalism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for formalism
formalism
noun
English Language Learners Definition of formalism
: a method, style, way of thinking, etc., that shows very careful attention to traditional forms and rules
See the full definition for formalism in the English Language Learners Dictionary