notional

American  

[noh-shuh-nl] / ˈnoʊ ʃə nl /

adjective

1. pertaining to or expressing a notion or idea.

2. of the nature of a notion or idea.

   a notional response to the question.

3. abstract, theoretical, or speculative, as reflective thought.

4. not real or actual; ideal or imaginary.

   to create a notional world for oneself.

5. given to or full of foolish or fanciful ideas or moods.

6. Grammar.

   1. relating to the meaning expressed by a linguistic form.

   2. having full lexical meaning, in contrast to relational.

7. Semantics. belonging to a class of words that express clear concepts rather than relations between concepts; presentive.

---

notional British  

/ ˈnəʊʃənəl /

adjective

1. relating to, expressing, or consisting of notions or ideas

2. not evident in reality; hypothetical or imaginary

   a notional tax credit

3. characteristic of a notion or concept, esp in being speculative or imaginary; abstract

4. grammar

   1. (of a word) having lexical meaning

   2. another word for semantic

---

Other Word Forms

• notionality
  noun
• nonnotional
  adjective
• unnotional
  adjective
• notionally
  adverb
• unnotionally
  adverb

---

Etymology

Origin of notional

First recorded in 1590–1600; notion + -al ¹

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

notional

The latter applies to transactions with a notional value exceeding $2 million.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir took 3-77 before Durham declared on 295-6, setting Derbyshire a notional 423 for victory.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

U.S. notional volume of levered ETFs is about $90 billion, up from almost nothing a decade ago, per Goldman Sachs data.

From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026

Equity notional trading volumes on the platform rose 54% in the first quarter from a year earlier, while trading in options contracts climbed 17%.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 29, 2026

When two partners divide up the profits of a business between them they assign a notional book value to the stock in hand.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---