Standard Lemma guide

denomination

noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /dɪˌnɒmɪˈneɪʃən/
  • rhymes with -eɪʃən
  • Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: D IH0 N AO2 M AH0 N EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The act of naming or designating.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

That by which anything is denominated or styled; an epithet; a name, designation, or title; especially, a general name indicating a class of like individuals.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A class, or society of individuals, called by the same name; a subdivision of a religion.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

Topics: lifestyle, religion

Examples

  • She follows the Ahmadiyya denomination of Islam.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A unit in a series of units of weight, money, etc.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

Examples

  • What denomination is that money? They are all 50 euro notes.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

identifying word or words by which someone or something is called and classified or distinguished from others

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: appellation, designation, appellative

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: name

Narrower terms: street name, nickname, moniker, cognomen, sobriquet, soubriquet, byname, title, title of respect, form of address

6

noun

Meaning 6

a class of one kind of unit in a system of numbers or measures or weights or money

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he flashed a fistful of bills of large denominations

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: class, category, family

7

noun

Meaning 7

a group of religious congregations having its own organization and a distinctive faith

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: nongovernmental organization, NGO

Narrower terms: communion, Protestant denomination

History

Etymology

From Middle English denominacioun, from Old French denominacion, from Latin dēnōminātiō. By surface analysis, denominate + -ion.

Across languages

Translations

98 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: наричане (naričane) — act of naming, designation
  • Bulgarian: именуване (imenuvane) — act of naming, designation
  • Catalan: denominació — act of naming, designation
  • Danish: benævnelse — act of naming, designation
  • Finnish: nimeäminen — act of naming, designation
  • Finnish: nimittäminen — act of naming, designation
  • French: dénomination — act of naming, designation
  • Galician: denominación — act of naming, designation
  • German: Benennung — act of naming, designation
  • Greek: ονομασία (onomasía) — act of naming, designation
  • Greek: χαρακτηρισμός (charaktirismós) — act of naming, designation
  • Hungarian: elnevezés — act of naming, designation
  • Irish: ainmniú — act of naming, designation
  • Polish: denominacja — act of naming, designation
  • Portuguese: denominação — act of naming, designation
  • Russian: называ́ние (nazyvánije) — act of naming, designation
  • Russian: именова́ние (imenovánije) — act of naming, designation
  • Spanish: denominación — act of naming, designation
  • Swedish: namngivning — act of naming, designation
  • Thai: นามพรรณ — act of naming, designation
  • Turkish: adlandırma — act of naming, designation
  • Turkish: denominasyon — act of naming, designation
  • Bulgarian: име (ime) — name, designation, or title
  • Bulgarian: название (nazvanie) — name, designation, or title
  • Danish: klasse — name, designation, or title
  • Danish: kategori — name, designation, or title
  • Finnish: ryhmä — name, designation, or title
  • French: désignation — name, designation, or title
  • German: Bezeichnung — name, designation, or title
  • Greek: όνομα (ónoma) — name, designation, or title
  • Greek: ονομασία (onomasía) — name, designation, or title
  • Irish: ainmníocht — name, designation, or title
  • Polish: desygnacja — name, designation, or title
  • Portuguese: denominação — name, designation, or title
  • Russian: и́мя (ímja) — name, designation, or title
  • Russian: назва́ние (nazvánije) — name, designation, or title
  • Russian: наименова́ние (naimenovánije) — name, designation, or title
  • Spanish: denominación — name, designation, or title
  • Swedish: beteckning — name, designation, or title
  • Ukrainian: найменування (najmenuvannja) — name, designation, or title
  • Ukrainian: позначення (poznačennja) — name, designation, or title
  • Afrikaans: denominasie — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Afrikaans: sekte — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Arabic: طَائِفَة (ṭāʔifa) — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Armenian: հարանվանություն (haranvanutʻyun) — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Azerbaijani: məzhəb — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Bulgarian: секта (sekta) — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Czech: denominace — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Danish: trossamfund — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Danish: sekt — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Finnish: ryhmä — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Finnish: tunnustuskunta — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Finnish: uskontokunta — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Finnish: denominaatio — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Finnish: kirkkokunta — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Finnish: lahko — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • German: Konfession — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Greek: δόγμα (dógma) — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Greek: θρήσκευμα (thrískevma) — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Hungarian: felekezet — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Hungarian: szekta — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Irish: sainaicme creidimh — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Irish: sainchreideamh — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Māori: tānga hāhi — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Norwegian: trossamfunn — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Norwegian Bokmål: kirkesamfunn — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Polish: denominacja — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Portuguese: denominação — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Russian: деномина́ция (denominácija) — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Russian: вероисповеда́ние (veroispovedánije) — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Russian: се́кта (sékta) — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Slovene: denominacija — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Slovene: verska skupnost — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Spanish: denominación — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Swahili: dhehebu — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Swedish: konfession — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Ukrainian: віросповідання (virospovidannja) — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Ukrainian: конфесія (konfesija) — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Urdu: سمپرداے — class or society with the same name, a sect
  • Bulgarian: стойност (stojnost) — unit in a series of units
  • Danish: pålydende — unit in a series of units
  • Finnish: arvo — unit in a series of units
  • Finnish: nimellisarvo — unit in a series of units
  • German: Stückelung — unit in a series of units
  • Greek: αξία (axía) — unit in a series of units
  • Irish: aicme — unit in a series of units
  • Irish: ainmníocht — unit in a series of units
  • Italian: valore nominale — unit in a series of units
  • Italian: valore facciale — unit in a series of units
  • Polish: nominał — unit in a series of units
  • Portuguese: espécie — unit in a series of units
  • Russian: досто́инство (dostóinstvo) — unit in a series of units
  • Russian: сто́имость (stóimostʹ) — unit in a series of units
  • Serbo-Croatian: апоен — unit in a series of units
  • Serbo-Croatian: apoen — unit in a series of units
  • Slovene: vrednost — unit in a series of units
  • Spanish: denominación — unit in a series of units
  • Ukrainian: вартість (vartistʹ) — unit in a series of units
Real reading context

denomination in complete knowledge articles