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
Judith Martin, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2026
In an alternative scenario, the cap would stay fixed in nominal dollar terms, in our examples at $100,000 or $70,000 sans bumps for the CPI, for 20 or 30 years, and after those intervals grow in tandem with wages.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026
For example, the six-figure limit could be indexed to inflation; frozen at $100,000 in nominal terms for 20 years and then indexed to average wage growth; or kept at $100,000 for 30 years and then indexed to wage growth.
—Lorie Konish, CNBC, 25 Mar. 2026
Puttering around the smaller seaside towns, at a more measured pace, energy losses were nominal.
—Sean Evans, Robb Report, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nominal
Adjective
Because a present that is over $100, Miss Manner assures you, is indeed meant for a wedding and not a shower, whose gifts are supposed to be more nominal.
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2026
In an alternative scenario, the cap would stay fixed in nominal dollar terms, in our examples at $100,000 or $70,000 sans bumps for the CPI, for 20 or 30 years, and after those intervals grow in tandem with wages.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026
For example, the six-figure limit could be indexed to inflation; frozen at $100,000 in nominal terms for 20 years and then indexed to average wage growth; or kept at $100,000 for 30 years and then indexed to wage growth.
—Lorie Konish, CNBC, 25 Mar. 2026
Puttering around the smaller seaside towns, at a more measured pace, energy losses were nominal.
—Sean Evans, Robb Report, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nominal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nominal
Adjective
-
The game is a special-ops first person adventure where players seek to destroy the titular weapon of mass destruction — a bot capable of launching nuclear attacks.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Rockwell plays the titular Raymond Gunn, a private eye drawn into a case involving murder, aliens, and Johansson’s multimedia star Venus Nova.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Meanwhile, walnuts lend a slight crunch throughout.—
Cameron Beall,
Southern Living,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Cloud cover is forecasted to stick around all day, and temperatures are likely to top out in the low 80s this afternoon with a slight breeze from the south.—
Lauren Bostwick,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 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
-
There were no famous people, and crime was negligible.—
Kate Crane,
Rolling Stone,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The costs of living increase in all parts of the world, but the fees one receives remain negligible.—
Ho Tzu Nyen,
Artforum,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
With little more than a few beach chairs and a tiny oceanfront bar, these cozy accommodations feel perfectly remote and removed, just what the doctor ordered for your stay on Anegada.—
Carley Rojas Avila,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The flashes occurred as tiny fragments of cosmic material, or micrometeoroids, impacted the lunar surface.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
For power users, this sort of thing can’t help but read as needling, even petty platform quirks.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Season 1 was a full-on sensation, powered by Steven Yeun and Ali Wong's performances as Danny and Amy, two strangers whose petty clash on the road snowballs into a vicious feud.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nominal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nominal. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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