Synonyms

in name only

American

idiom

having a particular title or reputation, but not functioning or behaving accordingly.

in name only More Idioms

Also, only in name. Nominally, not actually. For example, He's the chief executive in name only; his vice-president makes all the decisions, or Theirs was a marriage only in name; they lived on different continents. [Late 1300s]

Other Word Forms

in-name-only

adjective

Example Sentences

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in name only

Karp reserved his sharpest language for what he described as sovereignty in name only: contracting non-US firms to deploy American or Chinese closed models.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

When Gian Neglia took over as sporting director of the Las Vegas Lights in February, it was a team in name only.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2024

He will be the speaker in name only.

From Salon ● Apr. 5, 2024

The end result would be a mammoth in name only.

From Slate ● Mar. 16, 2024

We were a team in name only, I’d sadly come to realize.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

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

in name only

idiom

Other Word Forms

Example Sentences

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