1
as in gesture
an act or utterance that is a customary show of good manners
bowing to your guest is a formality you don't need to perform for me
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
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
Examples of formality in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
It was approved by the House of Representatives in March and now must be endorsed by King Vajiralongkorn, which is considered a formality.
—
Anumita Kaur, Washington Post, 19 June 2024
The rest was a formality, Zheng breezing through the game and fittingly rounding off the victory with another forehand winner, her 11th of the contest.
—George Ramsay, CNN, 3 Aug. 2024
Lake handled the primary as a formality, avoiding even saying Lamb’s name and skipping the June debate with Lamb.
—Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 30 July 2024
In theory, at least, this creates the possibility of a convention like those that political parties ran a century ago, before the modern primary system took hold and turned the votes of state delegates into a formality.
—Dan Horn, The Enquirer, 22 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for formality 
Anumita Kaur, Washington Post, 19 June 2024
The rest was a formality, Zheng breezing through the game and fittingly rounding off the victory with another forehand winner, her 11th of the contest.
—George Ramsay, CNN, 3 Aug. 2024
Lake handled the primary as a formality, avoiding even saying Lamb’s name and skipping the June debate with Lamb.
—Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 30 July 2024
In theory, at least, this creates the possibility of a convention like those that political parties ran a century ago, before the modern primary system took hold and turned the votes of state delegates into a formality.
—Dan Horn, The Enquirer, 22 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for formality
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'formality.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Thesaurus Entries Near formality
Cite this Entry
“Formality.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/formality. Accessed 3 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share