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
The executive branch has delegated almost all of its AI oversight to David Sacks—nominally a co-chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, but functionally a government LARPer who maintains his role as a venture capitalist and podcast host.
—
Josh Tyrangiel, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
The book is nominally a spy story, but as a novel is more concerned with identity, exile, and trust.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
Teammates Will Richard, Moses Moody and Buddy Hield, nominally shooting guards, also fit into that bucket.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
Unlike others of his ilk, Elon Musk, nominally more interested in colonizing Mars than other parts of Earth, appears to see the annexation of Greenland as a purely nationalistic venture.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 23 Jan. 2026
And a whole succession of leaders from countries that are nominally still American allies — Britain, Germany, South Korea — are wooing rather than shunning Beijing to deepen economic cooperation.
—Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 22 Jan. 2026
More than a year after a ceasefire nominally ended active fighting, much of southern Lebanon bears the ecological scars of war.
—Josiane Yazbeck, The Conversation, 22 Jan. 2026
Soccer is exclusively about atmosphere and identity, so the experience of being in the crowd and the experience of the game itself are only nominally associated, in the same way going to see the Grateful Dead in the late 1980s was only nominally about music.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
With Morrissey still nominally running for reelection, Republicans were trying to recruit someone to run for DA… just in case.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 14 Jan. 2026
Josh Tyrangiel, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
The book is nominally a spy story, but as a novel is more concerned with identity, exile, and trust.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
Teammates Will Richard, Moses Moody and Buddy Hield, nominally shooting guards, also fit into that bucket.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
Unlike others of his ilk, Elon Musk, nominally more interested in colonizing Mars than other parts of Earth, appears to see the annexation of Greenland as a purely nationalistic venture.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 23 Jan. 2026
And a whole succession of leaders from countries that are nominally still American allies — Britain, Germany, South Korea — are wooing rather than shunning Beijing to deepen economic cooperation.
—Andreas Kluth, Twin Cities, 22 Jan. 2026
More than a year after a ceasefire nominally ended active fighting, much of southern Lebanon bears the ecological scars of war.
—Josiane Yazbeck, The Conversation, 22 Jan. 2026
Soccer is exclusively about atmosphere and identity, so the experience of being in the crowd and the experience of the game itself are only nominally associated, in the same way going to see the Grateful Dead in the late 1980s was only nominally about music.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
With Morrissey still nominally running for reelection, Republicans were trying to recruit someone to run for DA… just in case.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 14 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nominally
slightly
Adverb
-
Once this economic leveling is accomplished, homestead exemptions can be reduced slightly.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Hudsonian whimbrels, to be exact, shorebirds about the size of crows with long, thin, slightly curved beaks.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nominally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nominally. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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