titular
Americanadjective
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existing or being such in title only; nominal; having the title but none of the associated duties, powers, etc..
the titular head of the company.
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from whom or which a title or name is taken.
His titular Saint is Michael.
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of, relating to, or of the nature of a title.
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having a title, especially of rank.
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designating any of the Roman Catholic churches in Rome whose nominal incumbents are cardinals.
adjective
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of, relating to, or of the nature of a title
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in name only
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bearing a title
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giving a title
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RC Church designating any of certain churches in Rome to whom cardinals or bishops are attached as their nominal incumbents
noun
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the bearer of a title
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the bearer of a nominal office
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of titular
Explanation
You might say you’re the boss man in your household, but if everybody else in the family ignores you, 'boss man' is probably a titular position for you. In other words, it’s just a title. There’s no power behind it. We get titular from the Latin word titulus, meaning "title." Nowadays, it means that you hold an official title but don’t have any power or responsibility along with it. The Queen of England is a titular head of state. She doesn’t actually govern. A titular director doesn’t direct. Titular can also mean referencing the title. If you're playing the role of Dave in the play All About Dave, you're playing the titular role.
Vocabulary lists containing titular
This Week In Culture: March 29–April 4, 2020
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"The Overcoat" by Nikolai Gogol
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"Self-Reliance" by Ralph Waldo Emerson
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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.
Hulu’s British comedy starring Nicola Walker and Jemaine Clement puts the titular best friends at odds when Alice’s 26-year-old daughter begins dating the much older Steve.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
"Women's salt-adding behavior, however, was associated with a wider range of social and dietary characteristics than men's," added co-author Dr. Débora Santos, a titular professor at Rio de Janeiro State University.
From Science Daily • Jun. 4, 2026
There’s perfect pitch, and there’s whatever level of musical genius is possessed by the titular figure in “Tuner.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
Despite cinema’s extensive library of cheerful animal heroes, led by “Babe” and Wilbur of “Charlotte’s Web,” the titular premise of “The Sheep Detectives” apparently strikes many people as bizarre.
From Salon • May 17, 2026
Oceania has no capital, and its titular head is a person whose whereabouts nobody knows.
From "1984" by George Orwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
