nominal

[nom-uh-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.

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

Related formspre·nom·i·nal, adjectiveun·nom·i·nal, adjectiveun·nom·i·nal·ly, adverb

Synonyms for nominal

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR nominal ON THESAURUS.COM

1. titular, formal.

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

Related Words for nominal

ostensible, titular, token, symbolic, minimal, simple, given, puppet, formal, small, low, trifling, alleged, apparent, honorary, mentioned, named, pretended, professed, seeming

Examples from the Web for nominal

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of nominal

His imprisonment was intended to be little more than nominal.
Bunyan
James Anthony Froude
Such was the character of the nominal peace which now existed.
Henry IV, Makers of History
John S. C. Abbott
The land was let at a nominal rent, as being almost valueless.
The O'Donoghue
Charles James Lever
These can be procured through any local dealer at a nominal sum.
Boy Scouts Handbook
Boy Scouts of America
“Of course they can, if they must,” returned their nominal mistress.
Clare Avery
Emily Sarah Holt

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

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.