concerned with or characterized by rigorous or adherence to recognized forms (especially in religion or art); "highly formalized plays like `Waiting for Godot'"
something regarded as a normative example; "the convention of not naming the main character"; "violence is the rule not the exception"; "his formula for impressing visitors"
(law) the administration of justice according to established rules and principles; based on the principle that a person cannot be deprived of life or liberty or property without appropriate legal procedures and safeguards