What does formalist mean?
Formalist means An overly formal person, especially one who adheres to current forms; a stickler.
/ˈfɔɹml̩ˌɪst/ · noun
An overly formal person, especially one who adheres to current forms; a stickler.
The Besht preached that the simple man, imbued with native faith and able to pray fervently and wholeheartedly with a sense of joy in his heart, was nearer and dearer to God than the learned but joyless formalist spending his whole life in the study of Talmud.
Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.
Formalist means An overly formal person, especially one who adheres to current forms; a stickler.
The closest synonym depends on the sentence and intended sense.
The opposite depends on the specific sense.
The Besht preached that the simple man, imbued with native faith and able to pray fervently and wholeheartedly with a sense of joy in his heart, was nearer and dearer to God than the learned but joyless formalist spending his whole life in the study of Talmud.
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