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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of nominal
Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Oct. 2025
However, at least 23 countries in sub-Saharan Africa are in debt distress or at high risk of distress, the World Bank’s recent assessment noted, with public debt in nominal terms and as a share of GDP nearly doubling over the last decade.
—Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2025
But analysts believe that figure was nominal if anything.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 6 Oct. 2025
Bills for Medicaid recipients are supposed to be sent to Medicaid, not the patients, who typically pay a nominal amount, if anything, for their care.
—Rae Ellen Bichell, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nominal
Noun
Drake sought nominal, compensatory, and punitive damages, plus legal fees.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Oct. 2025
However, at least 23 countries in sub-Saharan Africa are in debt distress or at high risk of distress, the World Bank’s recent assessment noted, with public debt in nominal terms and as a share of GDP nearly doubling over the last decade.
—Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2025
But analysts believe that figure was nominal if anything.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 6 Oct. 2025
Bills for Medicaid recipients are supposed to be sent to Medicaid, not the patients, who typically pay a nominal amount, if anything, for their care.
—Rae Ellen Bichell, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nominal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nominal
Adjective
-
Hilton wore a latex rainbow jumpsuit, like the titular character, and carried Phoenix, who went as a unicorn.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
1 Nov. 2025
-
Ginger is among the most memorable animals to appear on the ABC sitcom, but there was season 1's ferret, discovered in the titular home's attic.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Nobody who has even a slight awareness of how the organization does business expected the Ravens to trade multiple Day 1/2 draft picks for a player.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Boston has the opportunity to shell out a qualifying offer for the veteran hurler, which would be a slight raise worth roughly $22 million.—
Shaun McAvoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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
-
In addition to the streaming jump, D’Angelo’s song catalog sold 9,000 digital track downloads for the week, up from a negligible amount in the previous week.—
Trevor Anderson,
Billboard,
22 Oct. 2025
-
The highest draft picks haven’t made an impact, and receiver production has been negligible.—
Tim Graham,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
From breezing through paperwork to avoiding unnecessary airport delays, this tiny travel hero proves that sometimes the simplest tools are the most important.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
2 Nov. 2025
-
But the movie only gives tiny little tastes of 1982 rock culture, and why Nebraska was so comically unsuitable for airplay.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Beccuau said the suspects charged so far appear to be petty criminals and blue-collar workers from northern Paris suburbs.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Nov. 2025
-
She also was cited on suspicion of disobeying a police officer, a petty offense that carries a fine.—
Nicquel Terry Ellis,
CNN Money,
2 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nominal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nominal. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share