かたちばかり (katachibakari)

* “J-WOTD” = “Japanese Word of the Day”

“token” “fake” (used for when someone does something, without really meaning it, or for ulterior motives)
形ばかりのお礼
slight token of gratitude, very small token of gratitude
形ばかりのもてなし
reception given for form’s sake
形ばかりの抵抗を見せる
put up only a token resistance
例(cchi)：昨晩遅かった事をカタチばかり文句言ってみたら 今日は早く帰るって言って朝出ていった。