Definition of NOMINAL (original) (raw)
1
: of, relating to, or being a noun or a word or expression taking a noun construction
2
a
: of, relating to, or constituting a name
b
: bearing the name of a person
3
a
: existing or being something in name or form only
nominal head of his party
b
: of, being, or relating to a designated or theoretical size that may vary from the actual : approximate
4
of a rate of interest
a
: equal to the annual rate of [simple interest](/dictionary/simple interest) that would obtain if interest were not compounded when in fact it is compounded and paid for periods of less than a year
b
: equal to the percentage by which a repaid loan exceeds the principal borrowed with no adjustment made for inflation
5
: being according to plan : satisfactory
everything was nominal during the launch
: a word or word group functioning as a noun
Did you know?
Something nominal exists only in name. So the nominal ruler in a constitutional monarchy is the king or queen, but the real power is in the hands of the elected prime minister. In the United Kingdom, the British monarch is also the nominal head of the Church of England; and those baptized in the Church who aren't really churchgoers might be called nominal Christians. A fee can be called nominal when it's small in comparison to the value of what it buys. So, for example, you might sell a friend a good piece of furniture for a nominal amount. And the charge for a doctor's visit might be a nominal $20, since most of the cost is covered by an insurance plan.
Synonyms
Examples of nominal in a Sentence
Adjective
What gave it resonance was that she was reflecting—in a fun-house mirror—the thuggish behavior of her nominal betters. —
Hendrik Hertzberg, New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2005 Instead they will decentralize and devolve power, and rely on the people over whom they have nominal authority to be self-organizing. —Francis Fukuyama, Atlantic, May 1999 Approaching his 68th birthday, Rockefeller had never imagined that his twilight years would be so eventful. His fortune had failed to purchase him even a poor man's mite of tranquillity. As nominal president of Standard Oil, he was in a bind, responsible for actions he had not approved. —Ron Chernow, Business Week, 18 May 1998 Each of the ten years of nominal peace saw plenty of bloodshed. —Theodore Roosevelt, The Winning of the West: 1769-1776, (1894) 1995
Her title of vice president had been nominal only. They charge a nominal fee for the service.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Here’s why: Although technical specifications are still being worked out, the new standard could deliver nominal peak data rates of more than 40Gbps. —PCMAG, 30 Jan. 2025 For the next fiscal year, Nomura analysts said the government might set a nominal GDP growth target of 10.3%, up from 9.7% for the current fiscal year ending March 2025. —Lim Hui Jie,anniek Bao, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2025 Still, even largely nominal bans have an impact, Dunn said. —Sarah Blaskey, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2025 The effective tax rate is higher than the nominal one because gains aren’t indexed for inflation. —Steve Forbes, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for nominal 
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English nominalle, from Medieval Latin nominalis, from Latin, of a name, from nomin-, nomen name — more at name
Noun
derivative of nominal entry 1
First Known Use
Adjective
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun
1904, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of nominal was in the 15th century
Dictionary Entries Near nominal
Cite this Entry
“Nominal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nominal. Accessed 14 Feb. 2025.
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Last Updated: 5 Feb 2025 - Updated example sentences
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