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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 notional
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
The works were notional pastiches of real-world desperation.
—Glenn Adamson, Artforum, 1 June 2025
Investor sentiment surrounding bitcoin has spiked recently as the total notional interest in futures tied to this digital currency has climbed, reaching an all-time high over the last several days, according to market analyst Greg Magadini.
—Charles Lloyd Bovaird Ii, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
Furthermore, these cosmic close calls might be best understood using concepts derived from string theory—a notional theory of everything that posits that all of nature is fundamentally composed of countless, wriggling subatomic strings.
—Ramin Skibba, Scientific American, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for notional
Pia Singh,yun Li, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2025
The works were notional pastiches of real-world desperation.
—Glenn Adamson, Artforum, 1 June 2025
Investor sentiment surrounding bitcoin has spiked recently as the total notional interest in futures tied to this digital currency has climbed, reaching an all-time high over the last several days, according to market analyst Greg Magadini.
—Charles Lloyd Bovaird Ii, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
Furthermore, these cosmic close calls might be best understood using concepts derived from string theory—a notional theory of everything that posits that all of nature is fundamentally composed of countless, wriggling subatomic strings.
—Ramin Skibba, Scientific American, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for notional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for notional
Adjective
-
That volume of data is impractical to fit theoretical models to deliver large-scale, accurate predictions.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The material enhances performance The team elucidated the material’s mechanism through a series of experimental analyses, including solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) spectroscopy, electron spin resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, and theoretical calculations.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Few characters, real or imaginary, have sustained this type of stage and screen presence for so many decades.—
Michael Taube,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
But Laura, used to getting away with murder, just neglected Daniel’s imaginary corpse after conjuring it.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
This time, Scott had a less metaphysical explanation for his torment.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The materialist, physiological explanation for the phenomenon of panic generates a bright contrast with the philosophical and metaphysical inquiries that have Nicholas, and Clune, in their grip.—
Scott Stossel,
The Atlantic,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The mockumentary about a fictitious paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania aired from 2005 to 2013.—
Lisa Respers France,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The bad news about this fictitious mountainside hole-in-the-wall?—
Tim McGovern,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Not abstract, delayed or generalized data, but precise, real-time and location-specific insights delivered from the world’s most remote forests, deepest watersheds and most polluted urban corridors.—
Michael De Nil,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
As anyone who’s ever had a two-year-old could tell you, kids that age don’t quite see things in such abstract terms.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Nowadays, these routes and addresses can sometimes call to my mind the Camino Real—the old Spanish road lost and buried but commuted upon daily—or that mythic expanse of the Mediterranean where Odysseus lost his way and people live and work to this day.—
Manuel Muñoz,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
-
For baseball aficionados, the name Sandy Koufax is almost mythical.—
Steve Futterman,
NPR,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
For the moment though, the arm-packing robo-mower is still conceptual, and the NexLawn team hasn't revealed any production plans.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Thom Browne, designer The designer has become globally recognized for his avant-garde approach to women’s and men’s, couture and even home, with conceptual runway shows that are must-sees in New York and Paris.—
WWD Staff,
Footwear News,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
To respond to a volatile inflation crisis, should the CEO of Burger & Bites, a fictional fast-food chain, introduce dynamic pricing to its restaurants?—
Elie Ofek,
Harvard Business Review,
14 Sep. 2025
-
College football fan favorite Fansville, a satirical episodic drama from Dr Pepper set in a fictional college town, is returning for its eighth season.—
Kristi Dosh,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Notional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/notional. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share