nominal

[ nom-uh-nl ]

/ ˈnɒm ə nl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR nominal ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

being such in name only; so-called; putative: a nominal treaty; the nominal head of the country.

(of a price, consideration, etc.) named as a mere matter of form, being trifling in comparison with the actual value; minimal.

of, relating to, or constituting a name or names.

Grammar.

of, relating to, or producing a noun or nouns: a nominal suffix.
functioning as or like a noun.

assigned to a person by name: nominal shares of stock.

containing, bearing, or giving a name or names.

(of money, income, or the like) measured in an amount rather than in real value: Nominal wages have risen 50 percent, but real wages are down because of inflation.

Aerospace. performing or achieved within expected, acceptable limits; normal and satisfactory: The mission was nominal throughout.

Slang. done smoothly as expected: The space shot was nominal, proceeding without a hitch.

noun

Grammar. a word or group of words functioning as a noun.

Nearby words

nomen, nomenclator, nomenclature, nomenklatura, nomex, nominal, nominal aphasia, nominal damages, nominal par, nominal scale, nominal sentence

Origin of nominal

1425–75; late Middle English nominalle of a noun < Latin nōminālis of, belonging to a name, nominal, equivalent to nōmin- (stem of nōmen; see nomen) + -ālis -al¹

SYNONYMS FOR nominal

1 titular, formal.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR nominal ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

pre·nom·i·nal, adjectiveun·nom·i·nal, adjectiveun·nom·i·nal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for nominal

But the fighting continues, and grows worse, despite a nominal ceasefire.
Ukraine Could Explode in the Next 48 Hours|Anna Nemtsova|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Its nominal charter was publishing, more or less quarterly, a humor magazine.
Doug Kenney: The Odd Comic Genius Behind ‘Animal House’ and National Lampoon|Robert Sam Anson|March 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It's common to view a nominal commitment to a Palestinian state as a public relations tactic.
Israel's Political Process Sabotages Peace Efforts, But There Is A Constituency For Peace|Matt Lerner|November 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It doesn't actually matter very much in exactly what year the nominal Social Security trust fund is "exhausted".
You're Doing it Wrong: Social Security Life Expectancy Calculations|Megan McArdle|January 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The nukes are in the hands of the generals; the civilian government has only nominal control.
Pakistan’s Impossible Year: Elections, Army Intrigue, and More|Bruce Riedel|December 29, 2012|DAILY BEAST
On the heads of the school, real and nominal, the strain was immeasurably greater.
Regiment of Women|Clemence Dane
This made things worse and served as a nominal cause for war.
Sweden|Victor Nilsson
In order to destroy Gladstone's majority of one hundred and sixty, at least eighty of his nominal followers must come over.
Name and Fame|Adeline Sergeant
This, as above, is my second method for attracting Parliamentary support from the ranks of the nominal Opposition.
Lord Randolph Churchill|Winston Spencer Churchill
M. Clemenceau was the nominal chairman, but in reality it was President Wilson who conducted the proceedings.
The Inside Story Of The Peace Conference|Emile Joseph Dillon

British Dictionary definitions for nominal

nominal

/ (ˈnɒmɪnəl) /

adjective

in name only; theoreticalthe nominal leader

minimal in comparison with real worth or what is expected; tokena nominal fee

of, relating to, constituting, bearing, or giving a name

grammar of or relating to a noun or noun phrase

noun

grammar a nominal element; a noun, noun phrase, or syntactically similar structure

bell-ringing the harmonic an octave above the strike tone of a bell

Derived Forms

nominally, adverb

Word Origin for nominal

C15: from Latin nōminālis of a name, from nōmen name

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

nominal

adjective

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of nominal

SYNONYMS FOR nominal

Related forms

Examples from the Web for nominal

British Dictionary definitions for nominal

nominal

adjective

noun

Derived Forms

Word Origin for nominal