form ‧ al ‧ is ‧ m /ˈfɔːməlɪz ə m $ ˈfɔːr-/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
a style or method in art, religion, or science that pays a lot of attention to the rules and correct forms of something, rather than to inner meanings
—formalist noun [countable]
—formalistic /ˌfɔːməˈlɪstɪk◂ $ ˌfɔːr-/ adjective