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
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
But Tianwen 3 needs to land even lower down, with the criteria being at least 9,840 feet (3,000 m) below notional sea level, according to a paper published in the journal Nature by scientists involved in the mission.
—Andrew Jones, Space.com, 1 Oct. 2025
The United States 3rd Marine Division executes a notional fire mission with the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System during a training exercise at Camp Hansen on Japan's Okinawa Island on July 28, 2025.
—Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
Meta's notional short interest has soared 75%, or $11 billion, so far in 2025, S3 said in a note Monday.
—Pia Singh,yun Li, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for notional
Edward Segarra, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
But Tianwen 3 needs to land even lower down, with the criteria being at least 9,840 feet (3,000 m) below notional sea level, according to a paper published in the journal Nature by scientists involved in the mission.
—Andrew Jones, Space.com, 1 Oct. 2025
The United States 3rd Marine Division executes a notional fire mission with the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System during a training exercise at Camp Hansen on Japan's Okinawa Island on July 28, 2025.
—Ryan Chan, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
Meta's notional short interest has soared 75%, or $11 billion, so far in 2025, S3 said in a note Monday.
—Pia Singh,yun Li, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for notional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for notional
Adjective
-
Without proper passivation, the wafer edges act as a drain, negating the theoretical performance benefits these wafers could provide.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Feb. 2026
-
What makes this moment distinct is that the debate no longer feels theoretical.—
Alessandra Schade,
Time,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Your brain treats heartbreak like a physical injury That crushing feeling in your chest isn’t imaginary.—
Kyra Dahring,
CNN Money,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Lugers tilt to an imaginary track.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Under this clash of Venus and Uranus, a blind spot could impact your literal plans or more metaphysical beliefs.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Suffice to say that Zi’s condition may not be a physical issue or even a mental one but, rather, a metaphysical state.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Comulate also invented a fictitious insurance agent named Jordan Bates, who purported to work for PBC and who interacted with Applied Systems salespeople through email (with a Phoenix Benefits email domain) to create a customer account on Applied’s Epic.—
John Hyatt,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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In a comparable case in the United States in 2023, a federal judge imposed $5,000 fines on two lawyers and a law firm after ChatGPT was blamed for their submission of fictitious legal research in an aviation injury claim.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
My empathy for immigrants and refugees is not abstract.—
Valeng Cha,
Twin Cities,
8 Feb. 2026
-
In the 9th District, those debates are no longer abstract.—
Olivia Olander,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The difference between documentary approaches and fictional approaches to a musical figure — at heart, there’s no difference at all.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
-
But in a first for Marvel, Abdul-Mateen II was not there as himself, but rather in character as Simon Williams to discuss the fictional Wonder Man movie that is central to season one of the Disney+ show.—
Aaron Couch,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Diesel asks at the top of the spot (below), which shows footage of riders speeding through a conceptual rendering of the coaster — featuring vehicles that rotate along a course that also includes three inversions.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Feb. 2026
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My ultimate goal is to combine this conceptual part with products and do more artwork that inspires more people.—
Lisa Lockwood,
Footwear News,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The series follows a teenage boy who forms an unlikely alliance with the Fairy Queen of Celtic lore to search for malevolent mythical creatures from around the world, among them the Yeti, Baba Yaga and a Lady Dracula — not to destroy them, but to save them from impending doom.—
Ed Meza,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
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Jones portrays the fierce warrior Prince Vlad of Wallachia, who goes on to become the mythical Dracula.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Notional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/notional. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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