as in slightly
in a very small quantity or degree
although the more expensive TV set is nominally better than the other, it's not worth the big difference in price
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Recent Examples of nominally
At least some of these colonies had become nominally British in the 1760s, thanks to military triumph late in the Seven Years’ War, 1756-1763.
—
Sarah M.s. Pearsall,
The Conversation,
2 July 2026
In that instance, the notorious Cold War-era Romanian despot was quickly executed (with his wife) by military top brass while his former elites went on to run things under a nominally democratic system.
—
Melik Kaylan,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2026
Nothing is ever going to top it except, of course, the thin green coat of algae that Greenwater Solutions—seems nominally determinative, in a bad way—is trying to spritz with nanobubbles.
—
Alexandra Petri,
The Atlantic,
25 June 2026
What’s left at the Education Department Many of the program transfers have at least nominally kept the Education Department in charge of oversight and policy while moving everyday operations to the other agencies.
—
Alia Wong,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2026
All these shows are nominally about sports.
—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
16 June 2026
Each combustion turbine generator will be nominally rated at 62 megawatts (of electrical power.
—
Elizabeth Campbell,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 June 2026
The off-topic comment came during an Oval Office event nominally centered on his signing of legislation to give $70 billion in taxpayer funds to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other aspects of his mass deportation and immigrant detention agenda.
—
Joseph Konig,
PEOPLE,
10 June 2026
That’s more Premier League goals than Didier Drogba, who was nominally a centre-forward, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who spent eight seasons at Manchester United across two spells.
—
New York Times,
10 June 2026
Sarah M.s. Pearsall,
The Conversation,
2 July 2026
In that instance, the notorious Cold War-era Romanian despot was quickly executed (with his wife) by military top brass while his former elites went on to run things under a nominally democratic system.
—
Melik Kaylan,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2026
Nothing is ever going to top it except, of course, the thin green coat of algae that Greenwater Solutions—seems nominally determinative, in a bad way—is trying to spritz with nanobubbles.
—
Alexandra Petri,
The Atlantic,
25 June 2026
What’s left at the Education Department Many of the program transfers have at least nominally kept the Education Department in charge of oversight and policy while moving everyday operations to the other agencies.
—
Alia Wong,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2026
All these shows are nominally about sports.
—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
16 June 2026
Each combustion turbine generator will be nominally rated at 62 megawatts (of electrical power.
—
Elizabeth Campbell,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 June 2026
The off-topic comment came during an Oval Office event nominally centered on his signing of legislation to give $70 billion in taxpayer funds to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other aspects of his mass deportation and immigrant detention agenda.
—
Joseph Konig,
PEOPLE,
10 June 2026
That’s more Premier League goals than Didier Drogba, who was nominally a centre-forward, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who spent eight seasons at Manchester United across two spells.
—
New York Times,
10 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nominally
slightly
Adverb
-
Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn hit a flyout to Crow-Armstrong, who zigzagged a bit before making a slightly awkward catch for the first out of the frame.
-
Their menu is seasonal and slightly whimsical while retaining a clear vision, a good representation of the many personalities that make up the Kimball House team.
Cite this Entry
“Nominally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nominally. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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