nominal wages

American  

plural noun

Economics.

1. wages measured in terms of money and not by their ability to command goods and services.

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nominal wages British  

plural noun

1. another name for money wages

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Etymology

Origin of nominal wages

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Modest inflation tends to reduce employers’ need to cut workers’ nominal wages during economic downturns.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

That means New Yorkers are pushed into higher income brackets as their nominal wages climb over time.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025

"We have wages now beating prices, nominal wages growing faster than prices, and that dynamic in our economy creates a pretty persistent flywheel," he said.

From Reuters • Sep. 27, 2023

The bulletin article, however, appeared to play down wage concerns, arguing that real incomes will continue to fall as inflation will be higher than the robust increase in nominal wages.

From Reuters • Jan. 9, 2023

Employees are so apt to judge themselves well or ill treated by a comparison of nominal wages without any reference to conditions of industry.

From The Settlement of Wage Disputes by Feis, Herbert