When he passed me an application to complete, I knew it was a mere formality.
In their minds, he was guilty, and the rest would be mere formality.
The existence of the council itself was a mere formality.
And yet a trial would have been a mere formality.
The taking of a blood oath is a mere formality, if you will.
As a result, the board meeting that afternoon was a mere formality.
The speech was a mere formality, always asked of each person who came before the Council.
Mom asked, and John knew it wasn't a mere formality.
The announcement was a mere formality, a matter of making official what had been known for weeks.
Though I have tried to take his place, it is mere formality.