1
as in theoretical
dealing with or expressing a quality or idea
she has a notional understanding of romantic love but no actual experience of being in love
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in imaginary
not real and existing only in the imagination
your computer's "visits" to various parts of cyberspace are entirely notional—you stay put and the Web pages come to you
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of notional
According to The Times, payment of the notional rent would only be enforced if Andrew failed to maintain the property's refurbishment.
—
Edward Segarra, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
But Tianwen 3 needs to land even lower down, with the criteria being at least 9,840 feet (3,000 m) below notional sea level, according to a paper published in the journal Nature by scientists involved in the mission.
—Andrew Jones, Space.com, 1 Oct. 2025
The United States 3rd Marine Division executes a notional fire mission with the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System during a training exercise at Camp Hansen on Japan's Okinawa Island on July 28, 2025.
—Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
Meta's notional short interest has soared 75%, or $11 billion, so far in 2025, S3 said in a note Monday.
—Pia Singh,yun Li, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for notional
Edward Segarra, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
But Tianwen 3 needs to land even lower down, with the criteria being at least 9,840 feet (3,000 m) below notional sea level, according to a paper published in the journal Nature by scientists involved in the mission.
—Andrew Jones, Space.com, 1 Oct. 2025
The United States 3rd Marine Division executes a notional fire mission with the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System during a training exercise at Camp Hansen on Japan's Okinawa Island on July 28, 2025.
—Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
Meta's notional short interest has soared 75%, or $11 billion, so far in 2025, S3 said in a note Monday.
—Pia Singh,yun Li, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for notional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for notional
Adjective
-
Without proper passivation, the wafer edges act as a drain, negating the theoretical performance benefits these wafers could provide.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Feb. 2026
-
What makes this moment distinct is that the debate no longer feels theoretical.—
Alessandra Schade,
Time,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Your brain treats heartbreak like a physical injury That crushing feeling in your chest isn’t imaginary.—
Kyra Dahring,
CNN Money,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Lugers tilt to an imaginary track.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The general thrust of the changes were to de-melodramatize Salieri’s action and to focus more attention on his guilt and metaphysical torment.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
-
But, after Hume, liberals came increasingly to find even the barest invocation of metaphysical principles to be an embarrassment.—
Christopher Beha,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Who wants to sit through a fictitious novelist’s clumsy drafts?—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The committee requested that information after a congressional watchdog found last December that the enhanced premium tax credits were vulnerable to fraud, with auditors successfully obtaining subsidized coverage for multiple ‘fictitious’ applicants.—
Sophie Brams,
The Hill,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The discussion about administrative and judicial warrants is not an abstract debate.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
-
For Black Americans, this is not an abstract question.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Terms & Conditions interweaves fictional and historical characters in an immersive story that spans 247 years across land and sea.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Lawrence, who serves as executive producer on the new incarnation, can also see a parallel between his path and that of his fictional creations.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Series kicked off in the late 1990s, starting with Leaves, which included Calamus, Lily, Tea, Mint and Shiso, to give the conceptual idea of various leaves.—
Jennifer Weil,
Footwear News,
16 Feb. 2026
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Gartside tended to lead with the deconstructionist angle on his writing, and most critics seemed to take it as a given that all the lovey-dovey stuff was conceptual cleverness, a way of infiltrating pop and turning its lingua franca in on itself.—
Andy Cush,
Pitchfork,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Today’s longevity-medicine movement is driven by the same aggressive desire for eternal youth as the mythic stories of old.—
Will Gottsegen,
The Atlantic,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Rarely do these pieces directly echo the two men’s interpersonal drama, but the information adds context to the actors’ enchanting movements, which are backed by gorgeous outfits and striking set design that accentuate the mythical tales being played out.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Notional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/notional. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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