titular
Americanadjective
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existing or being such in title only; nominal; having the title but none of the associated duties, powers, etc..
the titular head of the company.
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from whom or which a title or name is taken.
His titular Saint is Michael.
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of, relating to, or of the nature of a title.
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having a title, especially of rank.
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designating any of the Roman Catholic churches in Rome whose nominal incumbents are cardinals.
adjective
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of, relating to, or of the nature of a title
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in name only
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bearing a title
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giving a title
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RC Church designating any of certain churches in Rome to whom cardinals or bishops are attached as their nominal incumbents
noun
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the bearer of a title
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the bearer of a nominal office
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of titular
Explanation
You might say you’re the boss man in your household, but if everybody else in the family ignores you, 'boss man' is probably a titular position for you. In other words, it’s just a title. There’s no power behind it. We get titular from the Latin word titulus, meaning "title." Nowadays, it means that you hold an official title but don’t have any power or responsibility along with it. The Queen of England is a titular head of state. She doesn’t actually govern. A titular director doesn’t direct. Titular can also mean referencing the title. If you're playing the role of Dave in the play All About Dave, you're playing the titular role.
Vocabulary lists containing titular
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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.
But she lives on in cinema, thanks to the 1985 landmark queer Mexican film “Doña Herlinda and Her Son,” by director Jaime Humberto Hermosillo, where she played the titular Doña Herlinda.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
In “Verity,” she plays the titular character, Verity Crawford, the author of a string of hit thriller novels who’s been mysteriously incapacitated after a car accident and can’t finish her final three books.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026
The second track, “Heart Has to Work So Hard,” touches on the difficulty of making relationships work, but also mentions the biological compound adenosine, used by cardiologists to regulate the titular organ’s rhythm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Cole also played the aunt of Martin Clunes's titular character in the ITV medical drama Doc Martin.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Oceania has no capital, and its titular head is a person whose whereabouts nobody knows.
From "1984" by George Orwell
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
