nominally
Americanadverb
Etymology
Origin of nominally
Explanation
Something nominally true is true in name only. This refers to things that are only titles or formalities. It’s the opposite of "really." Words with the root nom relate to names, and nominally refers to situations where someone has a name or title that doesn't carry a lot of weight. Former Presidents are still called Mr. President, but they only nominally hold that title; they aren't really acting presidents anymore. A separated couple might be nominally married, even though they never see each other. Nominally is like “not really.”
Vocabulary lists containing nominally
"What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" by Frederick Douglass
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Jane Eyre
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Life of Pi
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Trump will spend three days in Evian-les-Bains for a summit of the Group of Seven leading nations nominally about technology, trade and global economic imbalances.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 15, 2026
Pulte, a finance and real estate guy by trade, is nominally head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
From Slate • Jun. 6, 2026
The proposal, if it passes, would nominally levy a one-time tax of 5% on the wealth of the state’s resident billionaires.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026
It’s nominally about former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara and the Vietnam War, but Rhodes clearly intends the contemporary resonance:
From Salon • Feb. 28, 2026
Was he nominally working with, or against, Obsle’s faction?
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
