Thesaurus results for FORMALITIES

formalities

noun

plural of formality

as in courtesies

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

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as in rituals

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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of formalities The ministry handled the immigration and institutional formalities. — ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026 Transfers, formalities, excursions, and ground transportation are handled throughout. — Guy Bigiaoui, Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2026 Yet with all the formalities, there’s still a lot of uncertainty about just what the TIFF Market will look like. — Brian Welk, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2026 Mackz has found that running can strip away some of the formalities of an interview and make space for more honest conversations. — Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2026 Arfsten is expected to travel in the coming days to complete the move, pending formalities, sources say. — Tom Bogert, New York Times, 31 July 2026 During the 2000s, Villa Certosa became a global catalyst of international political discussion, while remaining at a comfortable remove from the protocols and formalities of the traditional places of government. — Mattia Ferraresi, Air Mail, 18 July 2026 Gerrymandering makes many general elections little more than formalities. — J.c. Polanco, New York Daily News, 17 July 2026 The bodies of the victims were being transported to Ho Chi Minh City before being flown to India after official formalities, according to the embassy. — CBS News, 13 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for formalities

Noun

Small courtesies keep big efforts moving forward.

— Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 15 Mar. 2026
With both courtesies and catastrophes refusing to conform, the canton’s school board, publishers, and clergy were forced to produce multiple editions of primers, textbooks, and catechisms; sometimes five parallel print runs were needed for a population the size of a town.

— Simon Akam, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025

Definition of courtesies

Noun

The teenager missed her mother’s cooking, her hugs, and their small, ordinary rituals of life together – reading, shopping, and singing.

— Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Patel-Dunn told CNBC that 30 to 45 minutes of aerobic exercise four or five times a week can measurably improve mood, a signal of how much daily behavior shapes seasonal mental health, and how early rituals compound across the darker months.

— Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of rituals

Noun

This book forces us to consider how clothing can communicate identity without the body, or gestures, or the visage, but rather through arrangement and spatial orientation.

— Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
One of the sweetest gestures during the Halloween season in Kansas City comes from one of the sweetest companies in town — Russell Stover.

— Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of gestures

Noun

The sheer number of corpses meant that traditional burial ceremonies were forgotten for a time, and mass unmarked grave sites were used outside the city walls.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
Running from November 27 to January 3, the event features tree lighting ceremonies, parades, caroling sessions, and the Maker’s Market, a gathering of artisans, crafters, and food vendors.

— Jessica Sulima, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of ceremonies

Noun

The risk of transmission also limits contact with the patients even after death, depriving families of closure and the opportunity to observe their preferred burial rites.

— Constant Same Bagalwa, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
On the third day, and again on the seventh, the deceased is remembered through prayers and memorial rites.

— Shushan Karapetian, The Conversation, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of rites

Noun

Although their mythological associations and forms of celebration differ by region, both are marked by major religious and communal observances and festivities.

— Tamanna Nangia, Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Oct. 2026
Most people can safely fast for Yom Kippur or other religious or cultural observances.

— Reed Berger-Fleishman, The Conversation, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of observances

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formalistic

formalities

formality

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“Formalities.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/formalities. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of formalities

noun

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