formalist
/ˈfɔːrməlɪst/
noun
- A person who follows or advocates strict adherence to rules, forms, or established procedures.
- As a formalist, she believed that every legal document must follow a precise template.
- The old professor was a formalist who insisted on proper citation formats.
- The committee was full of formalists who cared more about process than results.
- An artist or critic who emphasizes structure, form, and technique over content or emotion.
- Many formalists in the early 20th century focused on the visual elements of painting.
- The formalist argued that a poem's meaning comes from its structure, not its subject.
- The gallery featured works by formalists who used strict geometric patterns.
Synonyms
Antonyms
adjective
- Relating to or characteristic of formalism; emphasizing strict adherence to rules or forms.
- The formalist style of architecture values symmetry and order.
- Her formalist approach to teaching grammar made the lessons very structured.
- His formalist interpretation of the law left no room for exceptions.