fractional

adjective

frac·​tion·​al ˈfrak-sh(ə-)nəl 

1

: of, relating to, or being a fraction

2

: of, relating to, or being fractional currency

3

: relatively small : inconsiderable

4

: of, relating to, or involving a process for separating components of a mixture through differences in physical or chemical properties

fractional distillation

fractionally adverb

Examples of fractional in a Sentence

There has been a fractional rise in the price of the stock.

There is only a fractional improvement in the new version.

Recent Examples on the Web

In the first seven days of November, Flexjet's fractional ownership and jet-leasing business posted a 42% increase in revenue hours over the same period last year, compared with an increase of about 20% so far this year, the company said. —Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 10 Nov. 2025

Flexjet, the world’s second-largest fractional operator, is seeing a 23 percent increase in year-to-date flights. —Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 10 Nov. 2025

Additionally, the study shows that the fractional impedance serves as a practical diagnostic tool for identifying diffusive behavior and refining device operational parameters, according to a press release. —Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025

Each share of the GLD ETF represents a fractional interest in a trust that holds physical gold in high-security vaults run by JPMorgan and HSBC in London and New York. —Steve Kopack, NBC news, 9 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

fraction + -al entry 1

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing fractional

• fractional currency

Rhymes for fractional

• factional
• interactional
• redactional
• transactional

Kids Definition

fractional

adjective

frac·​tion·​al ˈfrak-shnəl 

-shən-ᵊl

1

: of, relating to, or being a fraction

fractional equivalents of percentages

2

: fairly small

fractionally

-ē

adverb

Medical Definition

fractional

adjective

frac·​tion·​al -shən-ᵊl, -shnəl 

: of, relating to, or involving a process for separating components of a mixture through differences in physical or chemical properties

fractional distillation