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
Tim Maxwell, CBS News, 19 May 2026
OnStage in Bedford began performing plays and musicals over 40 years ago in buildings the organization leased from the city for a nominal fee.
—Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 May 2026
Unprocessed marijuana typically can fetch more than $600 a pound on the open market, depending on the category, but manufacturers often report to the state’s tracking system unrealistic nominal sales, often as low as a penny or dollar a pound, Lambert said.
—Christopher Osher, ProPublica, 15 May 2026
This goal was never realistic—reducing the nominal price level would have been virtually impossible without a recession.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for nominal
Adjective
For example, while the difference between a 6% and 5% mortgage rate may seem nominal on paper, the reality is that just a 1% difference ultimately translates to hundreds of dollars a month on the typical home purchase.
—Tim Maxwell, CBS News, 19 May 2026
OnStage in Bedford began performing plays and musicals over 40 years ago in buildings the organization leased from the city for a nominal fee.
—Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 May 2026
Unprocessed marijuana typically can fetch more than $600 a pound on the open market, depending on the category, but manufacturers often report to the state’s tracking system unrealistic nominal sales, often as low as a penny or dollar a pound, Lambert said.
—Christopher Osher, ProPublica, 15 May 2026
This goal was never realistic—reducing the nominal price level would have been virtually impossible without a recession.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for nominal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nominal
Adjective
-
Berry took on the titular role in the 2004 film shortly after becoming the first Black woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress for Monster's Ball at the 74th Academy Awards in 2002.—
Kelsie Gibson,
PEOPLE,
29 May 2026
-
The series was an anthology hosted by the titular Frankelda, the ghost of an aspiring horror writer, who told stories about children encountering the paranormal.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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The finish is short, with lingering notes of citrus, pepper, and a slight mineral edge.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
-
That slight tweak—far from the grandiose promise of political revolution—might find power in the voters’ verdict.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
30 May 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
-
Hemp is a variety of cannabis with a negligible level of the psychoactive compound THC.—
Phil Diehl,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 May 2026
-
For most applications, those imperfections are negligible.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
Keep scrolling for tiny travel essentials that'll fit right in your personal item.—
Aly Walansky,
Travel + Leisure,
29 May 2026
-
These migratory aerial acrobats need a lot of energy to beat their tiny wings so fast.—
Rita Pelczar,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
For Lili in her darkest hour to summon a little petty annoyance over the wrong milk substitute for her coffee is a satirical grace note in an episode conspicuously short on laughs.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
24 May 2026
-
Macron’s highest aspirations to, as a modern Talleyrand, inject himself and solve global issues such as Ukraine, Africa’s Sahel, Syria, Lebanon, or Iran have fallen short, degenerated into petty feuds, or backfired.—
Wesley Alexander Hill,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nominal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nominal. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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