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¹nominal

adjective nom·i·nal \ˈnä-mə-n^əl, ˈnäm-nəl\

: existing as something in name only : not actual or real

: very small in amount

Full Definition of NOMINAL

: of, relating to, or being a noun or a word or expression taking a noun construction

a : of, relating to, or constituting a name

b : bearing the name of a person

a : existing or being something in name or form only <nominal head of his party>

b : of, being, or relating to a designated or theoretical size that may vary from the actual : approximate <the pipe's nominal size>

c : trifling, insignificant <his involvement was nominal> <charged only nominal rent>

of a rate of interest

a : equal to the annual rate of simple interest that would obtain if interest were not compounded when in fact it is compounded and paid for periods of less than a year

b : equal to the percentage by which a repaid loan exceeds the principal borrowed with no adjustment made for inflation

: being according to plan : satisfactory <everything was nominal during the launch>

— nom·i·nal·ly adverb

See nominal defined for English-language learners

See nominal defined for kids

Examples of NOMINAL

What gave it resonance was that she was reflecting—in a fun-house mirror—the thuggish behavior of her nominal betters. —Hendrik Hertzberg, New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2005
Instead they will decentralize and devolve power, and rely on the people over whom they have nominal authority to be self-organizing. —Francis Fukuyama, Atlantic, May 1999
Approaching his 68th birthday, Rockefeller had never imagined that his twilight years would be so eventful. His fortune had failed to purchase him even a poor man's mite of tranquillity. As nominal president of Standard Oil, he was in a bind, responsible for actions he had not approved. —Ron Chernow, Business Week, 18 May 1998
Each of the ten years of nominal peace saw plenty of bloodshed. —Theodore Roosevelt, The Winning of the West: 1769-1776, (1894) 1995
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Origin of NOMINAL

Middle English nominalle, from Medieval Latin nominalis, from Latin, of a name, from nomin-, nomen name — more at name

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to NOMINAL

Synonyms: formal, paper, titular

Antonyms: big, consequential, considerable, important, material, significant

Other Grammar and Linguistics Terms

ablaut, allusion, anacoluthon, diacritic, gerund, idiom, infinitive, metaphor, semiotics, simile

²nominal

noun nom·i·nal \ˈnä-mə-n^əl, ˈnäm-nəl\

Definition of NOMINAL

: a word or word group functioning as a noun

Origin of NOMINAL

(see ¹nominal)

First Known Use: 1904

Other Grammar and Linguistics Terms

ablaut, allusion, anacoluthon, diacritic, gerund, idiom, infinitive, metaphor, semiotics, simile

NOMINAL Defined for Kids

nominal

adjective nom·i·nal \ˈnä-mə-n^əl\

Definition of NOMINAL for Kids

: existing as something in name only <He was the nominal head of the government.>

: very small <There's just a nominal fee.>

— nom·i·nal·ly adverb

Word Root of NOMINAL

The Latin word nomen, meaning “name,” and its form nominis give us the root nomin. Words from the Latin nomen have something to do with names. To nominate is to name someone as a candidate for election or for an honor. Anything nominal, such as a position or office, exists in name only. A noun or pronoun in the nominative case is in the form that names the subject of a sentence, for example the pronoun I.