Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
1846; see formalism + -istic.
Wiktionary
a. formalist
WordNet
adj. concerned with or characterized by rigorous or adherence to recognized forms (especially in religion or art); "highly formalized plays like `Waiting for Godot'" [syn: formalized, formalised]
Usage examples of "formalistic".
Suppose that two or three times in a row our great annual Game were to strike the guests as an empty ceremony, a lifeless, old-fashioned, formalistic relic of the past.
Ever since he had been back in Waldzell, and holding office as Magister Ludi, he had continually seen tangible symptoms of that danger: in the loyal but unworldly and formalistic methods of work among his own officials and in many of the other departments.
When he spoke again, his words struck an odd, formalistic note in Chuck's fevered brain.
From dusky jet to deadly white they swirled slowly, like the cloaks of men and women engaged in a trancelike and formalistic minuet: the man standing on the shingle of the grim beach was reminded of giants dancing to the music of the faraway storm and felt as one must feel who walks unwittingly into a hall where the gods are at play.