1
as in theoretical
dealing with or expressing a quality or idea
she has a notional understanding of romantic love but no actual experience of being in love
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in imaginary
not real and existing only in the imagination
your computer's "visits" to various parts of cyberspace are entirely notional—you stay put and the Web pages come to you
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of notional
Hyperliquid generated approximately $962m in fees in 2025 on roughly $3tn in notional trading volume.
—
Bob Diamond, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
According to General Atomics, a notional mission profile envisions MQ-9B aircraft launching from friendly bases in the Western or Southern Pacific, transiting to designated hold points outside an adversary’s weapons engagement zone, and loitering there for extended periods.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 25 Feb. 2026
These challenges all place a premium on quiet peacetime coordination between Washington and Taipei to build alignment on notional military plans and war aims, procedures for escalation management and signaling to Beijing, and conditions for terminating a war.
—Rebecca Lissner, Foreign Affairs, 14 Nov. 2025
According to The Times, payment of the notional rent would only be enforced if Andrew failed to maintain the property's refurbishment.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for notional
Bob Diamond, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
According to General Atomics, a notional mission profile envisions MQ-9B aircraft launching from friendly bases in the Western or Southern Pacific, transiting to designated hold points outside an adversary’s weapons engagement zone, and loitering there for extended periods.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 25 Feb. 2026
These challenges all place a premium on quiet peacetime coordination between Washington and Taipei to build alignment on notional military plans and war aims, procedures for escalation management and signaling to Beijing, and conditions for terminating a war.
—Rebecca Lissner, Foreign Affairs, 14 Nov. 2025
According to The Times, payment of the notional rent would only be enforced if Andrew failed to maintain the property's refurbishment.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for notional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for notional
Adjective
-
Early explorations of the theme included self-portraits EXPORT made in male drag, as well as forays in poetry and theoretical feminist texts.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
15 May 2026
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But the new one is no longer theoretical.—
Ingmar Rentzhog,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
Gaiman works like The Sandman and American Gods have served as inviting gateways to imaginary worlds for multiple generations of readers and viewers.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
13 May 2026
-
By that time Dame Frances had established the idea of theaters of memory—imaginary architectural structures, replete with columns and alcoves and windows, where items can be placed for later recollection.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
Huxley’s critique is clear; America mistakes body for spirit, promiscuously confusing the physical with the metaphysical.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
-
Mercifully, those connections are not forged across time and space; all three stories remain discrete, never approaching a moment of grandiose metaphysical convergence.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
Adjective
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He is charged with one count of unlawful voting by aliens and one count of the procurement, casting, or tabulation of ballots that are known to be materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent under state law.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2026
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The complaint also alleged payroll fraud, claiming that fictitious employees were being issued paper checks that were delivered to museum insiders.—
Brian Boucher,
ARTnews.com,
19 May 2026
Adjective
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Na sits in the corner of a Côte d’Azur waterfront lounge on a glorious midday, the sky an almost abstract blue.—
Joshua Rothkopf,
Los Angeles Times,
17 May 2026
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And this sense of mutual alienation, of being neither here nor there, that Franny and Elliott live with suggests that the political is no longer seen from a potentially abstract place and finally bleeds into realm of the personal.—
Lé Baltar,
IndieWire,
17 May 2026
Adjective
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Colbert also playfully mentioned a fictional appearance by Pope Leo XIV.—
Toni Fitzgerald,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
-
Employing a fictional slasher movie of yesteryear as the portal into a conversation about self and desire, this is heady, strange stuff, frustrating at times but captivating in both its confusion and its honesty.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2026
Adjective
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The study’s scope includes an optional component — triggered only if the initial assessment warrants it — that would produce a conceptual design and site plan for a potential eastern substation, including cost estimates.—
Walker Armstrong,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 May 2026
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Progress may require creative conceptual innovation.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
18 May 2026
Adjective
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Bled, Slovenia Picturesque Bled looks like a mythical landscape dreamed up by the Brothers Grimm.—
Anne Olivia Bauso,
Travel + Leisure,
21 May 2026
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Curated by Bruno Gaudichon, former longtime director of La Piscine museum in the north of France, the show transforms the gallery into a poetic forest inhabited by sculptural furniture, animals and mythic references spanning Europe and Asia.—
Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Notional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/notional. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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