fractional
Americanadjective
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pertaining to fractions; comprising a part or the parts of a unit; constituting a fraction.
fractional numbers.
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comparatively small; inconsiderable or insignificant.
The profit on the deal was fractional.
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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.
adjective
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relating to, containing, or constituting one or more fractions
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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
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very small or insignificant
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broken up; fragmented
Other Word Forms
- fractionally adverb
- subfractional adjective
- subfractionally adverb
- subfractionary adjective
Etymology
Origin of fractional
Vocabulary lists containing fractional
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.
Tokenization is the process of creating a digital representation of a real thing, and can be used to process large amounts of data or enable fractional ownership.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026
Patients with asthma, a comorbid disease that frequently occurs along with atopic dermatitis, showed a median 56% reduction in fractional exhaled nitric oxide, a measure of airway inflammation.
From Barron's • Dec. 8, 2025
"This new discovery of fractional electron distribution establishes an entirely new scientific foundation for understanding catalysts that we believe will drive new energy technologies over the next several decades."
From Science Daily • Nov. 21, 2025
The merits of stock splits are debatable now that fractional trading has become commonplace.
From MarketWatch • Oct. 31, 2025
There was a quiet permission given with that fractional gesture, a permission he hadn’t realized he wanted until he had it.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
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.
