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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in substantive
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nominal
Eyad Kourdi, CNN Money, 9 Mar. 2026
Both had incumbents with nominal primary opposition, but the primaries to select a November challenger saw big spending.
—ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
And if Congress fails to renew these tariffs by roughly August, the bank calculates nominal tariff levels would plummet to the mid-single digits, around 6% to 7%.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 23 Feb. 2026
After weeks of price fluctuations, the white metal hit a nominal all-time high of over $110 per troy ounce in late January 2026 — a milestone that sent investors scrambling to try and capitalize on the metal's impressive price uptick.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nominal
Adjective
Despite a nominal 2024 ceasefire, Israel has been carrying out near-daily strikes in Lebanon, accusing Hezbollah of attempting to rearm and reestablish itself.
—Eyad Kourdi, CNN Money, 9 Mar. 2026
Both had incumbents with nominal primary opposition, but the primaries to select a November challenger saw big spending.
—ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
And if Congress fails to renew these tariffs by roughly August, the bank calculates nominal tariff levels would plummet to the mid-single digits, around 6% to 7%.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 23 Feb. 2026
After weeks of price fluctuations, the white metal hit a nominal all-time high of over $110 per troy ounce in late January 2026 — a milestone that sent investors scrambling to try and capitalize on the metal's impressive price uptick.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nominal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nominal
Adjective
-
Walger will appear in the series take on the popular video games alongside series leads Ryan Hurst as Kratos, the titular god of war, and Callum Vinson as his young son, Atreus.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2026
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The titular gaslights in Paula's home are actually a way out for the victim.—
Emma Bowman,
NPR,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Monday and Wednesday have a slight chance of showers, the forecast showed.—
Joe Marusak,
Charlotte Observer,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Big Blue will have to overcome a slight halftime deficit to avoid a first-round upset.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
First Acts: From the symbolic to the substantive, here is a look at what nine new governors elected last year have done in their first weeks in office.—
Maggie Astor,
New York Times,
30 Jan. 2023
-
With his substantive, agreeably granular bass, David Grogan gave prophetic warnings real authority.—
Dallas News,
Dallas News,
23 Dec. 2022
Adjective
-
Veteran endorsements appear to have a small-to-negligible effect on voters, but may also negatively affect their attitudes about the military as an institution.—
Kori Schake,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Rethinking anode design During testing, the prototype silicon-graphene anode retained over 98 percent of its capacity after more than 2,000 cycles at a current density of five amperes per gram (A g-1), with negligible decay compared to non-lithiated counterparts.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The plot pivots on tiny gestures involving matters of life and death.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Each impact steals a tiny bit of the spacecraft’s speed, pushing it a smidgen closer to Earth.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Kansas’ public officials should avoid the distractions of petty prejudices and focus on representing all their citizens.—
Darren Rosenblum,
Mercury News,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Joe Cole, late of Peaky Blinders, plays Ethan, a former petty teen gangster from Las Vegas who has decamped to Los Angeles and made an honest man of himself.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nominal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nominal. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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