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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
as in substantive
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nominal
Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
Fire commissioners need approval from Albany for nominal pay, which is already offered to volunteer firefighters in New Jersey and Connecticut.
—Carolyn Gusoff, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
If all else fails, most cruise lines offer wash and press services for a nominal fee.
—Jill Schildhouse, Southern Living, 30 Jan. 2026
The Royal Lodge, located on the vast grounds of Windsor Castle and Great Park (which total 5,000 acres) is a property that’s owned by the monarch and given or rented (usually at a nominal rate) to family and friends of the Crown.
—Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nominal
Adjective
Trump said on Thursday that the rate should be two to three percentage points lower—such low nominal rates have historically tended to accompany periods of weak or slowing economic activity.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
Fire commissioners need approval from Albany for nominal pay, which is already offered to volunteer firefighters in New Jersey and Connecticut.
—Carolyn Gusoff, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
If all else fails, most cruise lines offer wash and press services for a nominal fee.
—Jill Schildhouse, Southern Living, 30 Jan. 2026
The Royal Lodge, located on the vast grounds of Windsor Castle and Great Park (which total 5,000 acres) is a property that’s owned by the monarch and given or rented (usually at a nominal rate) to family and friends of the Crown.
—Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nominal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nominal
Adjective
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Now do like the new year’s titular Horse and ride on free!—
Ingu Chen,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
5 Feb. 2026
-
This relationship brings another level to the film, as Kotevska weaves in the titular folktale of Silyan, about another lonely man and his stork.—
Alissa Simon,
Variety,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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On Friday, there was only a slight danger of avalanches in Slovakia's highest mountain range.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Sateen weave bedding also tends to have a slight sheen with a drapey design, and an opulent feel right out of the package, Brenot points out.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
First Acts: From the symbolic to the substantive, here is a look at what nine new governors elected last year have done in their first weeks in office.—
Maggie Astor,
New York Times,
30 Jan. 2023
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With his substantive, agreeably granular bass, David Grogan gave prophetic warnings real authority.—
Dallas News,
Dallas News,
23 Dec. 2022
Adjective
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With one or two exceptions, this trade deadline may just be an accounting exercise of slinging slop contracts back and forth with negligible on-court impact.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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Still, the interest-earning differential is negligible, and rates here can and will change, particularly over an extended period.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
2 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In 2018, the company had a viral moment when Catherine’s sister-in-law, the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, wore their jeans at a public event, setting off a frenzy that spiked demand and overwhelmed the tiny operation of around 20 employees at the time.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
5 Feb. 2026
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Her subsequent eviction from the Beguines leads to her accepting the Bishop’s offer of sanctuary—as an anchorite, destined to live out her days in a tiny stone outcropping.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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But Putin was not going to launch a new war against Turkey’s rebel allies just to save a petty dictator whose own soldiers were deserting.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
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Ruling like a petty tyrant from the company’s headquarters in lower Manhattan, Coplan isn’t an easy boss to work with, according to new reporting by the Wall Street Journal.—
Joe Wilkins Published Feb 4,
Futurism,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nominal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nominal. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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