nominal

[ nom-uh-nl ]

/ ˈnɒm ə 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 or expected amount or value; minimal or insignificant: a nominal fee;a nominal improvement.

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.

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

noun

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

OTHER WORDS FOR nominal

1 titular, formal.

See synonyms for nominal on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of nominal

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English nominalle “of a noun,” from Latin nōminālis “of, belonging to a name or names, nominal,” equivalent to nōmin- (stem of nōmen ) + -ālis adjective suffix; see nomen,-al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM nominal

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

Words nearby nominal

nomen, nomenclator, nomenclature, nomenklatura, Nomex, nominal, nominal aphasia, nominal damages, nominalism, nominalize, nominally

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use nominal in a sentence

That said, his effect on the Hornets’s offense has been more than nominal.
Gordon Hayward Got Paid Like An All-Star. He’s Playing Like One, Too.|Jared Dubin|February 17, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
The climate Cabinet is much larger than just the nominal climate team, because almost every Cabinet job is actually a climate job.
Every Cabinet job is about climate change now|Ben Adler|January 21, 2021|Washington Post
That’s thanks to a so-called 20% “promote,” which gives the sponsors of the deal, or those who formed the SPAC in the first place, 20% of the shares of the SPAC itself for a nominal price.
SoFi will go public via SPAC|Lucinda Shen|January 8, 2021|Fortune
So if Democrats managed to win the Senate, they could try to preempt the Supreme Court by changing the penalty to a nominal sum like $1, or repealing the individual mandate entirely.
What Happens If the Supreme Court Overturns Obamacare?|Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux (Amelia.Thomson-DeVeaux@abc.com)|November 10, 2020|FiveThirtyEight

The share prices of Apple and Tesla are at all-time highs—buying in now is expensive, at least historically speaking, no matter what the nominal share price says.
Investors riding high on Apple and Tesla stock splits could get clipped, data shows|rhhackettfortune|August 31, 2020|Fortune
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
By contrast, incumbent Democrat Pat Quinn only faced nominal opposition in his primary.
Illinois’s Mitt Romney Takes On Rod Blagojevich’s Successor|Ben Jacobs|March 19, 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
Since WWII, the US unemployment rate has averaged 8% when the short-term nominal T-bill rate is 2% or lower.
The Economic Forecast is... Not Great|David Frum|March 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He was young to be a colonel, but the title was merely nominal and complimentary, and not given for any service to his country.
The Cromptons|Mary J. Holmes
The nominal intendente da policia is also the supreme judge in criminal cases.
Journal of a Voyage to Brazil|Maria Graham
The rule of the King, nominal within the walls of his own palace, was laughed at in the city and ignored beyond its walls.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
Four nominal species of the genus Pipistrellus are currently recognized in North America.
A Synopsis of the American Bats of the Genus Pipistrellus|Walter W. Dalquest
Adiutrix for work elsewhere, it recalled both governor and legion, and gave up the more northerly of his nominal conquests.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various

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 of nominal

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

OTHER WORDS FOR nominal

Origin of nominal

OTHER WORDS FROM nominal

Words nearby nominal

Words related to nominal

How to use nominal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for nominal

Derived forms of nominal

Word Origin for nominal