Synonyms of nominal

nominal 1 of 2

adjective

ˈnä-mə-nᵊl 

1

as in titular

being something in name or form only

he was the nominal head of state—everyone knew the country was actually run by one of his advisers

Synonyms & Similar Words

• titular
• formal
• supposed
• paper
• virtual
• presumed
• ostensible
• phantom
• seeming
• assumed
• apparent
• so-called
• evident

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• real
• true
• actual

2

as in slight

so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention

when you pay $400 for an airline ticket, a ticketing fee of five dollars seems nominal

Synonyms & Similar Words

• slight
• negligible
• tiny
• petty
• trivial
• insignificant
• piddling
• inconsiderable
• trifling
• measly
• paltry
• minute
• piffling
• inconsequential
• footling
• pimping
• Mickey Mouse
• picayune
• niggling
• piddly
• chicken
• no-account
• peanut
• imperceptible
• puny
• inappreciable
• de minimis
• little
• inferior
• mean
• pettifogging
• small-fry
• one-horse
• quibbling
• hairsplitting
• two-bit
• nitpicking

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• considerable
• significant
• important
• substantial
• big
• serious
• material
• outstanding
• consequential
• prominent
• remarkable
• striking
• conspicuous
• noteworthy
• weighty
• appreciable
• measurable
• pivotal
• momentous
• eventful
• discernible

nominal

2 of 2

noun

as in substantive

Related Words

• substantive
• noun
• mass noun
• count noun
• common noun
• collective noun
• proper noun

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of nominal

Adjective

Diesel fuel has been setting nominal record highs – an aftereffect of rising global oil prices as well as a supply bottleneck from refineries damaged by the wars in Ukraine and Iran. — Natasha Chen, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2026

The Iran war, forest fires and thunderstorms are all talking points this week as F1 gears up for a Bahrain GP held 3,750 miles (6,000 kilometers) away from its nominal host nation. — ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026

Patients in Medicaid, the state- and federally-funded program for people with low incomes, already pay a nominal co-payment of a few dollars to fill their prescriptions, but lower prices could help state budgets that fund the programs. — Fatima Hussein, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026

But recent wars have exposed the gap between nominal power and usable military capability. — Nadia Schadlow, Foreign Affairs, 18 Sep. 2026