excogitate vs formulate

excogitate and formulate both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
excogitate	No	No	Yes	No
formulate	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, excogitate and formulate are synonyms defined as:

excogitate and formulate: come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort

Other synonyms of excogitate include contrive, devise, forge, invent.

excogitate (verb)	formulate (verb)
reflect deeply on a subject	put into words or an expression
come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort	elaborate, as of theories and hypotheses
	come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort
	prepare according to a formula