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

Total cash earnings, or nominal wages, posted a 0.8% year-on-year gain in January, the data showed, much weaker than a revised 4.1% growth in December, when strong one-off winter bonuses drove up overall salaries.

From Reuters • Mar. 7, 2023

"It's difficult to sustainably achieve our 2% inflation target unless nominal wages rise steadily," Kuroda said.

From Reuters • Nov. 18, 2022

In the recent official returns of wages in textile industries, it is admitted that 10 per cent, should be taken off from the nominal wages for irregularity of employment.

From Problems of Poverty by Hobson, J. A. (John Atkinson)