noun
a person who adheres strictly to a particular form, especially in the arts
adjective
relating to or characteristic of formalism, especially in the arts
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The formalist approach to literary criticism focuses on the structure and form of a text.
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Some people find formalist analysis of literature to be too rigid and limiting.
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I'm not really into all that formalist stuff when it comes to analyzing movies.
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She approached the problem with a formalist mindset, breaking it down into its basic components.