adj · noun · 24 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
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Received-Pronunciation:/ˈnɒm.ɪ.nl̩/
Received-Pronunciation:[ˈnɒm.ɪ.nl̩]
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Canada, US:/ˈnɑ.mɪ.nl̩/
Canada, US:[ˈnɑ.mɪ.nl̩]
CMU ARPABET:N AA1 M AH0 N AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Of, resembling, relating to, or consisting of a name or names.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
Assigned to or bearing a person's name.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adj
Meaning 3
Existing in name only.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Examples
a nominal difference
1856 February, Thomas Babington Macaulay, Oliver Goldsmith, republished in 1865, The Miscellaneous Writings of Lord Macaulay, Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts and Green, page 300, At Edinburgh he passed eighteen months in nominal attendance on lectures, and picked up some superficial information about chemistry and natural history.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: ceremonial
Antonyms: none provided
4
adj
Meaning 4
Of or relating to nominalism.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Topics: human-sciences, philosophy, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
adj
Meaning 5
Insignificantly small.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Examples
He gave me only a nominal sum for my services.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: trifling
Antonyms: none provided
6
adj
Meaning 6
Of or relating to the presumed or approximate value, rather than the actual value.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Examples
The nominal voltage is 1.5 V, but the actual figure is usually higher.
the nominal yield of a nuclear weapon
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: effective
7
adj
Meaning 7
Of, relating to, or being the amount or face value of a sum of money or a stock certificate, for example, and not the purchasing power or market value.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Topics: business, finance
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
adj
Meaning 8
Of, relating to, or being the rate of interest or return without adjustment for compounding or inflation.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Topics: business, finance
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
9
adj
Meaning 9
Of or relating to a noun or word group that functions as a noun.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
A part of speech that shares features with nouns and adjectives. (Depending on the language, it may comprise nouns, adjectives, possibly numerals, pronouns, and participles.)
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
16
noun
Meaning 16
A number (usually natural) used like a name; a numeric code or identifier. (See nominal number on Wikipedia.)
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
Numeric codes of characters used in programming are nominals.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
17
noun
Meaning 17
A person listed in the Police National Computer database as having been convicted, cautioned or recently arrested.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK, jargon
Topics: law-enforcement, police
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
18
adjective
Meaning 18
of, relating to, or characteristic of an amount that is not adjusted for inflation
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
the nominal GDP
nominal interest rates
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: real
19
adjective
Meaning 19
pertaining to a noun or to a word group that functions as a noun
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
nominal phrase
noun phrase
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
20
adjective
Meaning 20
relating to or constituting or bearing or giving a name
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
the Russian system of nominal brevity
a nominal lists of priests
taxable males as revealed by the nominal rolls
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
21
adjective satellite
Meaning 21
existing in name only
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
the nominal (or titular) head of his party
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: titular
Antonyms: none provided
22
adjective satellite
Meaning 22
named; bearing the name of a specific person
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
nominative shares of stock
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: nominative
Antonyms: none provided
23
adjective satellite
Meaning 23
insignificantly small; a matter of form only (`tokenish' is informal)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
the fee was nominal
a token gesture of resistance
a toknenish gesture
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: token(a), tokenish
Antonyms: none provided
24
noun
Meaning 24
a phrase that can function as the subject or object of a verb
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: noun phrase, nominal phrase
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: phrase
History
Etymology
PIE word *h1nómn̥ Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h1nómn̥ Proto-Italic *nōmn̥ Latin nōmen Proto-Indo-European *h2el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Latin nōminālisder. Middle English nominalle English nominal From the Middle English nominalle (“of nouns”), borrowed from Latin nōminālis (“of names”), ultimately from oblique stem of Latin nōmen, nōminis (“name”) + -al.
Across languages
Translations
89 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Catalan:
nominal
— of or relating to a name or names
Finnish:
nimi-
— of or relating to a name or names
French:
nominal
— of or relating to a name or names
Galician:
nominal
— of or relating to a name or names
Georgian:
სახელობითი
(saxelobiti)
— of or relating to a name or names
Greek:
ονομαστικός
(onomastikós)
— of or relating to a name or names
Hindi:
नाममात्र
(nāmmātr)
— of or relating to a name or names
Hungarian:
név-
— of or relating to a name or names
Hungarian:
címlet-
— of or relating to a name or names
Italian:
nominale
— of or relating to a name or names
Latvian:
nomināls
— of or relating to a name or names
Polish:
nominalny
— of or relating to a name or names
Portuguese:
nominal
— of or relating to a name or names
Romanian:
nominal
— of or relating to a name or names
Russian:
именно́й
(imennój)
— of or relating to a name or names
Spanish:
nominal
— of or relating to a name or names
Catalan:
nominal
— existing in name only
Esperanto:
nominala
— existing in name only
Polish:
nominalny
— existing in name only
Bulgarian:
номинален
(nominalen)
— of or relating to the presumed or approximate value
Czech:
jmenovitý
— of or relating to the presumed or approximate value
Esperanto:
nominala
— of or relating to the presumed or approximate value
Finnish:
nimellinen
— of or relating to the presumed or approximate value
Hungarian:
névleges
— of or relating to the presumed or approximate value
Hungarian:
nominális
— of or relating to the presumed or approximate value
Hungarian:
nominál-
— of or relating to the presumed or approximate value
Latvian:
nomināls
— of or relating to the presumed or approximate value
Polish:
nominalny
— of or relating to the presumed or approximate value
Russian:
номина́льный
(nominálʹnyj)
— of or relating to the presumed or approximate value
Spanish:
nominal
— of or relating to the presumed or approximate value
Tagalog:
pasapyaw
— of or relating to the presumed or approximate value
Ukrainian:
номіна́льний
(nominálʹnyj)
— of or relating to the presumed or approximate value
Afrikaans:
nominaal
— of or relating to a noun
Breton:
anvel
— of or relating to a noun
Catalan:
nominal
— of or relating to a noun
Dutch:
naamwoordelijk
— of or relating to a noun
Dutch:
nominaal
— of or relating to a noun
Finnish:
substantiivi-
— of or relating to a noun
Finnish:
substantiivinen
— of or relating to a noun
French:
nominal
— of or relating to a noun
West-Frisian:
namwurdlik
— of or relating to a noun
Georgian:
არსებითი
(arsebiti)
— of or relating to a noun
German:
nominal
— of or relating to a noun
German:
substantivisch
— of or relating to a noun
Hungarian:
főnévi
— of or relating to a noun
Irish:
ainmfhoclach
— of or relating to a noun
Italian:
nominale
— of or relating to a noun
Latvian:
nomināls
— of or relating to a noun
Lithuanian:
daiktavardinis
— of or relating to a noun
Polish:
rzeczownikowy
— of or relating to a noun
Portuguese:
nominal
— of or relating to a noun
Romanian:
nominal
— of or relating to a noun
Russian:
именно́й
(imennój)
— of or relating to a noun
Spanish:
nominal
— of or relating to a noun
Tagalog:
makangalan
— of or relating to a noun
Volapük:
subsatik
— of or relating to a noun
Welsh:
enwol
— of or relating to a noun
Afrikaans:
nominaal
— economics: without adjustment to remove the effects of inflation
Czech:
nominální
— economics: without adjustment to remove the effects of inflation
Dutch:
nominaal
— economics: without adjustment to remove the effects of inflation
Finnish:
nimellinen
— economics: without adjustment to remove the effects of inflation
West-Frisian:
nominaal
— economics: without adjustment to remove the effects of inflation
Hungarian:
névleges
— economics: without adjustment to remove the effects of inflation
Kazakh:
атаулы
(atauly)
— economics: without adjustment to remove the effects of inflation
Polish:
nominalny
— economics: without adjustment to remove the effects of inflation
Portuguese:
nominal
— economics: without adjustment to remove the effects of inflation
Russian:
номина́льный
(nominálʹnyj)
— economics: without adjustment to remove the effects of inflation
Spanish:
nominal
— economics: without adjustment to remove the effects of inflation
Tagalog:
pasapyaw
— economics: without adjustment to remove the effects of inflation
Ukrainian:
номіна́льний
(nominálʹnyj)
— economics: without adjustment to remove the effects of inflation
Czech:
nominální
— statistics: having values whose order is insignificant
Finnish:
luokitteluasteikollinen
— statistics: having values whose order is insignificant
Polish:
nominalny
— statistics: having values whose order is insignificant
Russian:
номина́льный
(nominálʹnyj)
— statistics: having values whose order is insignificant
Catalan:
normal
— according to plan or design
Polish:
planowy
— according to plan or design
Polish:
standardowy
— according to plan or design
Russian:
штатный
(štatnyj)
— according to plan or design
Spanish:
en fa
— according to plan or design
Spanish:
normal
— according to plan or design
Czech:
jméno
— part of speech that shares features with nouns and adjectives
Estonian:
käändsõna
— part of speech that shares features with nouns and adjectives
Finnish:
nomini
— part of speech that shares features with nouns and adjectives
Hungarian:
névszó
— part of speech that shares features with nouns and adjectives
Latvian:
nomens
— part of speech that shares features with nouns and adjectives
Lithuanian:
vardãžodis
— part of speech that shares features with nouns and adjectives
Norwegian Bokmål:
nominal
— part of speech that shares features with nouns and adjectives
Norwegian Nynorsk:
nominal
— part of speech that shares features with nouns and adjectives
Polish:
nominal
— part of speech that shares features with nouns and adjectives
