fractional

American  

[frak-shuh-nl] / ˈfræk ʃə nl /

Also fractionary

adjective

1. pertaining to fractions; comprising a part or the parts of a unit; constituting a fraction.

   fractional numbers.

2. comparatively small; inconsiderable or insignificant.

   The profit on the deal was fractional.

3. Chemistry. of or noting a process, as distillation, crystallization, or oxidation, by which the component substances of a mixture are separated according to differences in certain of their properties, as boiling point, critical temperature, or solubility.

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ˈfractional British  

/ ˈfrækʃənərI, ˈfrækʃənəl /

adjective

1. relating to, containing, or constituting one or more fractions

2. of or denoting a process in which components of a mixture are separated by exploiting differences in their physical properties, such as boiling points, solubility, etc

   fractional distillation

   fractional crystallization

3. very small or insignificant

4. broken up; fragmented

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Other Word Forms

• fractionally adverb
• subfractional adjective
• subfractionally adverb
• subfractionary adjective

Etymology

Origin of fractional

First recorded in 1665–75; fraction + -al ¹

Example Sentences

Tuesday’s bounce put the S&P 500 fractionally ahead for the year, but that break-even showing belies massive moves underneath.

From Barron's

Trading is available 24 hours a day on weekdays, and investors can buy fractional shares for as little as $1.

From Barron's

Sandisk’s stock is off fractionally on Tuesday, with the report hardly marring the first anniversary of the split.

From MarketWatch

However, Dodds' effort was fractionally out and the Italians stole one.

From BBC

This was also fractionally below the analysts' consensus forecast for sales of 17.7 billion euros.

From Barron's