formalities

/fɔːrˈmælɪtiz/
noun
  1. Official or required actions, procedures, or rules that must be followed, often in legal or official situations.
    • We completed the customs formalities before boarding the plane.
    • The lawyer explained the formalities needed to sign the contract.
    • There are a few formalities to finish before you can get your passport.
  2. Things that are done only because they are the usual or expected way of doing something, even if they are not really necessary.
    • For him, filling out the paperwork was an annoying formality.
    • The meeting was just a formality; the decision had already been made.
    • Shaking hands at the end of the negotiation was a mere formality.
Antonyms
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