nominal wages

American  

plural noun

Economics.

1. wages measured in terms of money and not by their ability to command goods and services.

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nominal wages British  

plural noun

1. another name for money wages

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Etymology

Origin of nominal wages

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

As nominal wages continue to increase, the middle class will make up an ever larger share of those who pay the net investment tax.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

Modest inflation tends to reduce employers’ need to cut workers’ nominal wages during economic downturns.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

That means New Yorkers are pushed into higher income brackets as their nominal wages climb over time.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025

Total cash earnings, or nominal wages, posted a 0.8% year-on-year gain in January, the data showed, much weaker than a revised 4.1% growth in December, when strong one-off winter bonuses drove up overall salaries.

From Reuters • Mar. 7, 2023

Now let us see what the workman could do to advance real wages as contrasted with nominal wages.

From Creating Capital Money-making as an aim in business by Lipman, Frederick L. (Frederic Lockwood)