Relating to or characteristic of formalism; overly concerned with rules, form, and procedure rather than substance or meaning.
From 'formalist' + suffix '-ic' (relating to). Developed in the 20th century as a critical descriptor in art, philosophy, and literature.
A 'formalistic' teacher focuses only on whether your essay follows the format perfectly—five paragraphs, topic sentences, citations—but might miss brilliant original thinking that breaks the mold. It's the difference between following a recipe exactly versus cooking with creativity!
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