nominal

[nom-uh-nl]

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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

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 formspre·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

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 Formsnominally, 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

Word Origin and History for nominal

nominal

adj.

early 15c., "pertaining to nouns," from Latin nominalis "pertaining to a name or names," from nomen (genitive nominis) "name," cognate with Old English nama (see name (n.)). Meaning "of the nature of names" (in distinction to things) is from 1610s. Meaning "being so in name only" first recorded 1620s.

nominal

adjective

noun

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Origin of nominal

Examples from the Web for nominal

nominal

adjective

noun

Word Origin for nominal

nominal