for‧mu‧la‧ic /ˌfɔːmjəˈleɪ-ɪk◂, ˌfɔːmjʊˈleɪ-ɪk◂ $ ˌfɔːr-/ adjective formal
containing or made from ideas or expressions that have been used many times before and are therefore not very new or interesting:
Children love jokes and riddles that are heavily formulaic.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲