notional

[noh-shuh-nl]

adjective

pertaining to or expressing a notion or idea.

of the nature of a notion or idea: a notional response to the question.

abstract, theoretical, or speculative, as reflective thought.

not real or actual; ideal or imaginary: to create a notional world for oneself.

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

Grammar.

relating to the meaning expressed by a linguistic form.
having full lexical meaning, in contrast to relational.

Semantics. belonging to a class of words that express clear concepts rather than relations between concepts; presentive.Compare relational(def 3), symbolic(def 4).

Origin of notional

First recorded in 1590–1600; notion + -al¹

Related formsno·tion·al·i·ty, nounno·tion·al·ly, adverbnon·no·tion·al, adjectiveun·no·tion·al, adjectiveun·no·tion·al·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for notionally

Contemporary Examples of notionally

Notionally, the speech was merely to announce how many U.S. troops would be withdrawn from Afghanistan over the next 18 months.
The Politics Behind Obama’s Decision
John Barry
June 23, 2011

Historical Examples of notionally

And though God be loved as one that is notionally conceived to be best, and most to be loved, yet he is not loved best or most.
A Christian Directory (Volume 1 of 4)
Richard Baxter

British Dictionary definitions for notionally

notional

adjective

relating to, expressing, or consisting of notions or ideas

not evident in reality; hypothetical or imaginarya notional tax credit

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

grammar

(of a word) having lexical meaning
another word for semantic

Derived Formsnotionally, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for notionally

notional

adj.

"pertaining to notions," 1590s, from notion + -al (earlier nocional, late 14c., from Medieval Latin notionalis). Meaning "full of whims" is from 1791. Grammatical sense is from 1928 (Jespersen); economics use is from 1958.