Standard Lemma guide

notional

adj · noun · 11 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: /ˈnəʊʃənəl/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈnoʊʃənəl/
  • rhymes with -əʊʃənəl
  • CMU ARPABET: N OW1 SH AH0 N AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of, containing, or being a notion; mental or imaginary.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Near-synonyms: conceptual, fancied, fanciful, ideal
  • The idea that a rooster says cock-a-doodle-doo rather than ooh ooh-ooh ooh-ooh is socially conventional even though its sound correspondence is at heart notional.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: conceptual, fancied, fanciful, ideal

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Speculative, theoretical, not the result of research.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • This paper proposes a notional Federated Identity Management (FIM) architecture.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Stubborn.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Maine

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Having descriptive value as opposed to a syntactic category.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Used to indicate an estimate or a reference amount

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: business, finance

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adj

Meaning 6

Full of ideas or imaginings.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

A fake company used as a front in espionage.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

adjective satellite

Meaning 8

being of the nature of a notion or concept

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a plan abstract and conceptional
  • to improve notional comprehension
  • a notional response to the question

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: conceptional, ideational

Antonyms: none provided

9

adjective satellite

Meaning 9

indulging in or influenced by fancy

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a fanciful mind
  • all the notional vagaries of childhood

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fanciful

Antonyms: none provided

10

adjective satellite

Meaning 10

not based on fact or investigation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a notional figure of cost helps in determining production costs
  • speculative knowledge

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: speculative

Antonyms: none provided

11

adjective satellite

Meaning 11

not based on fact; unreal- F.D.Roosevelt

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the falsehood about some fanciful secret treaties
  • a small child's imaginary friends
  • to create a notional world for oneself

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fanciful, imaginary

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From notion + -al.

Across languages

Translations

19 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: умозрителен (umozritelen) — of, containing, or being a notion
  • Bulgarian: абстрактен (abstrakten) — of, containing, or being a notion
  • Catalan: nocional — of, containing, or being a notion
  • Finnish: kuvitteellinen — of, containing, or being a notion
  • French: notionnel — of, containing, or being a notion
  • Galician: nocional — of, containing, or being a notion
  • Spanish: nocional — of, containing, or being a notion
  • Bulgarian: въображаем (vǎobražaem) — speculative, theoretical
  • Catalan: nocional — speculative, theoretical
  • Finnish: kuvitteellinen — speculative, theoretical
  • Galician: nocional — speculative, theoretical
  • German: rein gedanklich — speculative, theoretical
  • German: theoretisch — speculative, theoretical
  • German: spekulativ — speculative, theoretical
  • Finnish: kuvaileva — linguistics: having descriptive value
  • French: notionnel — linguistics: having descriptive value
  • Galician: nocional — linguistics: having descriptive value
  • Finnish: viite- — finance: estimated or reference
  • French: notionnel — finance: estimated or reference