Synonyms for formalism
ˈfɔr məˌlɪz əmfor·mal·ism

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. formalism

   Pretense (Latin prætendo) primarily signifies the holding something forward as having certain rights or claims, whether truly or falsely; in the good sense, it is now rarely used except with a negative; as, there can be no pretense that this is due; a false pretense implies the possibility of a true pretense; but, alone and unlimited, pretense commonly signifies the offering of something for what it is not. Hypocrisy is the false pretense of moral excellence, either as a cover for actual wrong, or for the sake of the credit and advantage attaching to virtue. Cant (Latin cantus, a song), primarily the singsong iteration of the language of any party, school, or sect, denotes the mechanical and pretentious use of religious phraseology, without corresponding feeling or character; sanctimoniousness is the assumption of a saintly manner without a saintly character. As cant is hypocrisy in utterance, so sanctimoniousness is hypocrisy in appearance, as in looks, tones, etc. Pietism, originally a word of good import, is now chiefly used for an unregulated emotionalism; formalism is an exaggerated devotion to forms, rites, and ceremonies, without corresponding earnestness of heart; sham (identical in origin with shame) is a trick or device that puts one to shame, or that shamefully disappoints expectation or falsifies appearance. Affectation is in matters of intellect, taste, etc., much what hypocrisy is in morals and religion; affectation might be termed petty hypocrisy. Compare DECEPTION.

   Synonyms:
   affectation, cant, dissimulation, hypocrisy, pharisaism, pietism, pretense, sanctimoniousness, sanctimony, sham

   Antonyms:
   candor, frankness, genuineness, honesty, ingenuousness, openness, sincerity, transparency, truth, truthfulness

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. formalism

   Synonyms:
   rigidity, ceremoniousness, pomposity, externalism, parade, punctilio

   Antonyms:
   simplicity, unostentatiousness, unaffectedness, unceremoniousness

Princeton's WordNetRate these antonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. formalismnoun

   the doctrine that formal structure rather than content is what should be represented

   Antonyms:
   imitation

2. formalismnoun

   (philosophy) the philosophical theory that formal (logical or mathematical) statements have no meaning but that its symbols (regarded as physical entities) exhibit a form that has useful applications

   Antonyms:
   imitation

3. formalismnoun

   the practice of scrupulous adherence to prescribed or external forms

   Antonyms:
   imitation

Matched Categories

1. • Doctrine
   • Philosophical Doctrine
   • Philosophy
   • Practice

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "formalism":

   formalistic, formality, bureaucratism

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How to use formalism in a sentence?

1. Raymond Chandler:

   It is a mass language only in the same sense that its baseball slang is born of baseball players. That is, it is a language which is being molded by writers to do delicate things and yet be within the grasp of superficially educated people. It is not a natural growth, much as its proletarian writers would like to think so. But compared with it at its best, English has reached the Alexandrian stage of formalism and decay.