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
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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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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of notional
Mauritius may have gambled with its national dowry, but its consideration for a destitute citizenry wasn’t merely notional.
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Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
As options trading expands, the notional value tied to bitcoin could increase substantially, without requiring physical bitcoin to be bought or sold.
—Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
But the height was already enough to eliminate Chris Nilsen, a U.S. pole vaulter and the silver medallist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, who was a notional rival.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2024
For weeks, some have been drawing up and circulating notional plans for a truncated nominating contest that would culminate at the party’s convention in Chicago in August.
—Brian Bennett, TIME, 21 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for notional 
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
As options trading expands, the notional value tied to bitcoin could increase substantially, without requiring physical bitcoin to be bought or sold.
—Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
But the height was already enough to eliminate Chris Nilsen, a U.S. pole vaulter and the silver medallist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, who was a notional rival.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2024
For weeks, some have been drawing up and circulating notional plans for a truncated nominating contest that would culminate at the party’s convention in Chicago in August.
—Brian Bennett, TIME, 21 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for notional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for notional
Adjective
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The theoretical matchups fans anticipated during the offseason are finally starting to play out on the court, adding a new wrinkle to the traditional rivalries of league play.Sabreena Merchant, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
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Each year, the Robot – a naïve stock-picking paradigm, generates a theoretical portfolio of ten very unpopular stocks.John Dorfman, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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First of all, as Pew Research point out, D&D is in many ways the origin of the metaverse, an imaginary creative space of social interaction and storytelling, the coming incarnation of the online world.David G.W. Birch, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024
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In the meantime [glances at imaginary wristwatch], has anyone seen the NHL ratings?Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 27 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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There is a powerful sense of Johnson reaching for new and bolder challenges in his ongoing dialogues with reality and metaphysical thinking, material and idea.Calvin Tomkins, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
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Although the machines’ inventor is concerned with metaphysical questions—do intelligent robots disprove God’s existence?—his engineer son sees the potential for major profit and manufactures robots for sale around the world, with disastrous results.Elvia Wilk, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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In the movie, Mai plays the manager of fictitious famous pop star Bowyn Sykes (Jessica Lord).Brian Anthony Hernandez, People.com, 30 Dec. 2024
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Yet in the years since the 1990 film was released, viewers have focused on another question — how wealthy was the fictitious McCallister family featured in the movie?Lorie Konish, CNBC, 24 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The mood looks both delightful and a little melancholic — tiny, abstract people making their way in the biggest, loneliest of places.Lewis Gordon, Vulture, 8 Jan. 2025
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Indeed, a persistent criticism is that their artistic approach evades urgent issues in favor of abstract or anodyne statements.Travis Diehl, New York Times, 8 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Centered on mythical methamphetamine cookers Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, the series wrapped up more than a decade ago, but its legacy continues to draw looky-loos to the home and other associated filming spots around town.CBS News, CBS News, 4 Jan. 2025
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For a long time, six sixes felt to be a mythical achievement.The Athletic UK Staff, The Athletic, 2 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Disability Studies: Foundations & Key Concepts This non-exhaustive reading list highlights some of the key debates and conceptual shifts in disability studies.JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 8 Jan. 2025
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The intentionally empty area around Sgr A*'s frame seemed to actually punctuate its conceptual and visual weight in a way its typical online backdrop of search bars and Google Chrome tabs never has for me.Monisha Ravisetti, Space.com, 4 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Like their fictional counterparts, Taylor-Joy and Delevingne often hit the town together, including a 2023 girls’ night out that included Taylor Swift, Zoë Kravitz, and Golden Globe double nominee Selena Gomez.EW.com, EW.com, 6 Jan. 2025
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Winslet was nominated for best performance by a female actor in a drama for her role as a photojournalist in Lee and best performance by a female actor in a limited anthology series for television as a fictional dictator in The Regime.Rachel Flynn, People.com, 6 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near notional
Cite this Entry
“Notional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/notional. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.
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