notional

adjective

no·​tion·​al ˈnō-sh(ə-)nəl 

1

: theoretical, speculative

2

: existing in the mind only : imaginary

3

: given to foolish or fanciful moods or ideas

4

a

: of, relating to, or being a notion or idea : conceptual

b(1)

: presenting an idea of a thing, action, or quality

has is notional in he has luck, relational in he has gone

(2)

: of or representing what exists or occurs in the world of things as distinguished from syntactic categories

notionality

ˌnō-shə-ˈna-lə-tē 

noun

notionally

ˈnō-sh(ə-)nə-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• abstract
• conceptual
• ideal
• ideational
• metaphysical
• theoretical
• theoretic

Examples of notional in a Sentence

The notional earnings of the company were close to the actual ones.

she has a notional understanding of romantic love but no actual experience of being in love

Recent Examples on the Web

Fine and rare whisky is now a notional financial construct. —New Atlas, 4 Mar. 2025

There can’t be a postmortem after most league matches that says only major surgery will solve things sometime in a notional future. —Andy Mitten, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025

Many have notional timelines or resource constraints that are subject to renegotiation during the lifetime of an assignment. —Mark Settle, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025

This could push China first over the finish line in a notional race to return Martian materials to Earth—but at considerable scientific cost. —Lee Billings, Scientific American, 8 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for notional

• motional
• devotional
• emotional
• promotional
• unemotional