nominal 1 of 2

adjective

ˈnä-mə-nᵊl How to pronounce nominal (audio)
Definition of nominalnext
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

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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

nominal

2 of 2

noun

as in substantive

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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
Adjective
For the first time ever, that’s a nominal decline from the year prior’s $346 million. — Katie Campione, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2026 But other grant and sponsorship opportunities will allow others to participate for a nominal fee, with at least 51% of participants continuing to come from the original income categories, RISE Director Brian Margulis said. — Eric Peterson, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026 For now, the aftermarket pays nominal registry fees to officially access the manufacturers’ secure gateways. — New Atlas, 2 Aug. 2026 As a base rate, the S&P grows earnings approximately 6% a year, in line with historical nominal GDP growth. — Timothy P. Beyer, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for nominal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nominal
  1. titular
  2. slight
  3. substantive
  4. negligible
  5. tiny
  6. petty
Adjective
  • The stories feature the titular George, a mischievous, tailless, almost-always-smiling monkey exploring New York City, and his human companion, the Man in the Yellow Hat.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Madden tells the story of the beloved icon whose legacy continues through his titular NFL video game, Madden NFL.
    — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of titular
Adjective
  • Sale appeared to have a slight hitch in his leg before starting his motion when he was called for his third career balk.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026
  • And earlier this week, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for June showed a slight pickup in hiring and quits (an indicator of employee confidence) while layoffs were essentially unchanged.
    — Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of slight
Noun
  • With his substantive, agreeably granular bass, David Grogan gave prophetic warnings real authority.
    — Dallas News, Dallas News, 23 Dec. 2022
  • California’s climate agenda mixes the symbolic with the substantive.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Nov. 2022
Definition of substantive
Adjective
  • The promise of ever-lower compliance burdens, favorable labor requirements, negligible tax burdens all combined to push shippers into a race to the lowest cost.
    — Craig Hooper, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Because zero-power critical experiments produce negligible heat and only trace amounts of radioactive fission products, the reactor fuel remains largely unchanged and can be reused for additional testing.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 31 July 2026
Definition of negligible
Adjective
  • The antenna is extremely lightweight, and the team miniaturized it to be both the right size and shape to fit the tiny helicopters, which sit just 6 inches (15 centimeters) above the ground at rest.
    — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • These tiny flies, about 1/8-inch long, are drawn to moist potting soil and decaying leaves on the soil’s surface around houseplants.
    — Leah Chester-Davis, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of tiny
Adjective
  • The show finds ways to expose the worst in its characters, their pettiest, most vengeful, greediest parts.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Beyond petty crime, the department warned that Belgium remains at risk for terrorist attacks and related activity.
    — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of petty

Browse Nearby Words

nomenclatures
nominal
nominally
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Cite this Entry

“Nominal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nominal. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on nominal

Nglish: Translation of nominal for Spanish Speakers

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