nominal

[nom-uh-nl]

adjective

1. being such in name only; so-called; putative.

   a nominal treaty;

   the nominal head of the country.

   Synonyms: formal, titular

2. (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.

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

4. Grammar.

   1. of, relating to, or producing a noun or nouns.

      a nominal suffix.

   2. functioning as or like a noun.

5. assigned to a person by name.

   nominal shares of stock.

6. containing, bearing, or giving a name or names.

7. (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.

8. Chiefly Aerospace.,  performing or achieved within expected, acceptable limits; normal and satisfactory.

   The mission was nominal throughout.

noun

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

nominal

/ ˈnɒmɪnəl /

adjective

1. in name only; theoretical

   the nominal leader

2. minimal in comparison with real worth or what is expected; token

   a nominal fee

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

4. grammar of or relating to a noun or noun phrase

noun

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

2. Leisure:Bell-ringing the harmonic an octave above the strike tone of a bell

Other Word Forms

• prenominal adjective
• unnominal adjective
• unnominally adverb
• nominally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of nominal¹

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; nomen, -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of nominal¹

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

Example Sentences

The money gets repaid with interest and the hiccup to the retirement account is nominal, Hunter-Peterson said.

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That pledge already was deceptive, since Ms. Reeves intends to freeze the income-tax bands as inflation lifts more taxpayers into higher-rate brackets in nominal terms.

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Persistent deflation has weighed on nominal gross domestic product growth, dragging on corporate profits and wage growth, MS said.

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The penny’s demise comes as rising nominal price levels over the past two centuries have eroded the value and utility of the one-cent piece and as transactions shifted away from physical money.

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At current levels of nominal GDP, that represents a hit of about C$50 billion.

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Related Words

• minimal 
• symbolic 
• token