nominal wages

American

plural noun

Economics.

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

nominal wages British

plural noun

another name for money wages

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of nominal wages

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

nominal wages

The rolling three-month average showed a 3.6% increase in nominal wages for June, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

In his written testimony, he noted there’s been “solid growth” in nominal wages, which are not adjusted for inflation.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 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

Wages are still down in real terms given rapid inflation but low unemployment and growing labour scarcity, especially in services, is driving up nominal wages.

From Reuters ● May 17, 2023

Their nominal wages are half a dollar a day; but this is paid in articles necessary for their support, which are charged to them at such prices as to keep them always in debt.

From Oregon and Eldorado or, Romance of the Rivers by Thomas Bulfinch

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023