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.

---

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

---

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

The latest reading indicated a fractional expansion of the Chinese manufacturing sector, according to RatingDog, marking a fourth improvement in sector conditions over the past five months.

From The Wall Street Journal

Nobody who bought Standard Oil stock could explain fractional distillation either.

From MarketWatch

New Orleans has won three in a row and seems fractionally ahead of Tennessee at this point.

From Los Angeles Times

UBS Wealth Management predicted 10% earnings per share growth for the index and the note observes that in terms of valuations, the benchmark’s forward multiples are only fractionally higher than at the start of 2025.

From MarketWatch

The idea is to keep their connections to the exchange warm so they can react fractionally faster to market-moving information.

From The Wall Street Journal