as in slightly
in a very small quantity or degree
although the more expensive TV set is nominally better than the other, it's not worth the big difference in price
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Recent Examples of nominally
In this nominally nonpartisan race, the top two candidates will advance if no one wins a majority of the vote.
—
CNN Money, 2 June 2026
Too big for easy commuting or campus-schlepping, the 17-incher was always meant to be a couch-surfing machine or a laptop that would mostly stay put, for folks with aging eyes who still wanted something nominally mobile, and not a desktop or an AIO PC.
—John Burek, PC Magazine, 29 May 2026
Mobile or small cluster targets hiding in residential areas are far better dealt with by drones, causing minimal surrounding damage, especially when dealing with a nominally friendly country like Iraq.
—Melik Kaylan, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026
Despite the fact that this is nominally an awards show, the awards themselves seem ancillary to the purpose of the night, which is actually to network with other brokers.
—Clio Chang, Curbed, 22 May 2026
Tissues that don’t receive enough oxygen don’t perform nominally.
—Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 20 May 2026
Unfortunately, early signs suggest that HHS may try to comply only nominally, if at all, with the court’s rulings.
—Jesse L. Goodman, STAT, 18 May 2026
Later, when the oldest hit her mid-teens and eventually went off to college, the two boys were nudged into leadership roles of their own and nominally put in charge of the youngest kid, a sister.
—Andre Mouchard, Daily News, 9 May 2026
The warnings came despite a ceasefire that has been nominally in place since April 17, although Israel and Hezbollah have been carrying out daily attacks since then.
—Bassem Mroue, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
CNN Money, 2 June 2026
Too big for easy commuting or campus-schlepping, the 17-incher was always meant to be a couch-surfing machine or a laptop that would mostly stay put, for folks with aging eyes who still wanted something nominally mobile, and not a desktop or an AIO PC.
—John Burek, PC Magazine, 29 May 2026
Mobile or small cluster targets hiding in residential areas are far better dealt with by drones, causing minimal surrounding damage, especially when dealing with a nominally friendly country like Iraq.
—Melik Kaylan, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026
Despite the fact that this is nominally an awards show, the awards themselves seem ancillary to the purpose of the night, which is actually to network with other brokers.
—Clio Chang, Curbed, 22 May 2026
Tissues that don’t receive enough oxygen don’t perform nominally.
—Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 20 May 2026
Unfortunately, early signs suggest that HHS may try to comply only nominally, if at all, with the court’s rulings.
—Jesse L. Goodman, STAT, 18 May 2026
Later, when the oldest hit her mid-teens and eventually went off to college, the two boys were nudged into leadership roles of their own and nominally put in charge of the youngest kid, a sister.
—Andre Mouchard, Daily News, 9 May 2026
The warnings came despite a ceasefire that has been nominally in place since April 17, although Israel and Hezbollah have been carrying out daily attacks since then.
—Bassem Mroue, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nominally
slightly
Adverb
-
There are already some signs that the popularity of slightly smaller homes is on the rise.—
Allison Schrager,
Boston Herald,
31 May 2026
-
That includes first class or business class, but also the premium seats in the middle of the plane that offer slightly more legroom, priority boarding and less time to exit the plane upon landing.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nominally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nominally. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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