titular

1 of 2

adjective

tit·​u·​lar ˈti-chə-lər 

ˈtich-lər

1

a

: having the title and usually the honors belonging to an office or dignity without the duties, functions, or responsibilities

the titular head of a political party

b

: existing in title only

especially : bearing a title derived from a defunct ecclesiastical jurisdiction (such as an episcopal see)

a titular bishop

2

: of, relating to, or constituting a title

the titular hero of the play

3

: bearing a title : titled

titularly adverb

titular

2 of 2

noun

: a person holding a title

Synonyms of titular

Adjective

• nominal

Examples of titular in a Sentence

Adjective

Although retired, he remains the titular chairman of the company.

he's the titular head of the department, though it's the assistant managers who largely run things around here

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

His army of orcs are tracking down the rest of the titular rings, which are safe(ish) with the elves in the luxe strongholds of Lindon and Rivendell, as well as my beloved dwarves in the sonorous mines of Khazad-dûm. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 10 Nov. 2026

Dominic McLaughlin is stepping into the titular role, and his predecessor Radcliffe has already sent a letter to the young actor. — Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Nov. 2026

Part of the Relais & Châteaux collection, the restaurant is a collaboration between Abhishek Honawar of The Johri and HH Sawai Padmanabh Singh, the titular maharaja of Jaipur. — Shalbha Sarda, Travel + Leisure, 9 Nov. 2026

The titular term refers to the grace-period moment after a character in a game runs off a cliff but before gravity catches up, when the player can still jump. — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 9 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Latin titulus title

First Known Use

Adjective

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1540, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for titular

• capitular

Kids Definition

titular

adjective

tit·​u·​lar

ˈtich-(ə-)lər

: being something in title only : nominal

the titular head of state

titularly adverb