▪ something that is done as a matter of course and without question; an inevitability:"her saying no was just a formality, and both of them knew it"Similarroutineroutine practicenormal procedurematter of courseforegone conclusioninevitabilitycertaintyracing certaintyinformal:sure thingOppositeexceptional measurepossibilityunlikely possibility
Word Originmid 16th century (in the sense ‘accordance with legal rules or conventions’): from French formalité or medieval Latin formalitas, from formalis (see formal).