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REFERENCE

nominal

adj. · n.
US //ˈnɑmənəɫ// UK //nˈɒmɪnəl// nom·i·nal
  1. 1 in name only (adj.)
    C1 Advanced Formal

    describing someone who has a title or position but no real power or duties.

    existing in name only; used to describe a person or entity that holds a formal title without exercising the associated authority.

    Example

    He is the nominal head of the company, but his daughter makes all the big decisions.

    Example

    Although she remained the nominal chairperson of the committee, her influence had waned significantly following the recent restructuring.

    Usage

    Usually placed before the noun.
  2. 2 very small amount (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Formal

    describing a price or amount of money that is very small and much less than the real value.

    referring to a sum of money or a fee that is insignificantly small or far below the market value.

    Example

    The museum charges a nominal fee of one dollar just to keep track of visitor numbers.

    Example

    The property was leased to the charity for a nominal sum, reflecting the council's desire to support local community initiatives.

    Usage

    Commonly used with 'fee', 'charge', or 'sum'.
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  1. 3 unadjusted for inflation (adj.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Economics

    relating to the face value of money or interest rates, without considering how much things actually cost.

    relating to the value of a sum of money or a rate of interest that has not been adjusted for inflation or compounding.

    Example

    While nominal wages rose by three percent, the high cost of living meant people were actually poorer.

    Example

    Economists argued that focusing on nominal interest rates was misleading given the unprecedented spike in annual inflation.

    Usage

    Often contrasted with 'real' values in economic analysis.
    • face value
  2. 4 functioning as planned (adj.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Engineering

    working correctly and according to the original design or plan.

    functioning within expected or designed limits; used frequently in aerospace and engineering contexts.

    Example

    The engineers confirmed that all systems were nominal after the satellite reached orbit.

    Example

    Despite the initial pressure drop, the flight director reported that all propulsion parameters had returned to nominal levels.
  3. 5 relating to nouns (adj.)
    C1 Advanced Technical

    relating to a noun or a group of words that acts like a noun.

    of or relating to a noun or a word group that functions as a noun phrase.

    Example

    In the phrase 'the rich', the word 'rich' has a nominal function.

    Example

    The researcher analysed the frequency of nominal clauses in academic prose compared to informal spoken registers.
  4. 6 a noun-like word (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical

    a word or group of words that functions as a noun in a sentence.

    a word or phrase that functions as a noun; in some languages, a category including both nouns and adjectives.

    Example

    The teacher explained how a nominal can be the subject of a verb.

    Example

    The morphosyntactic properties of nominals in this dialect differ significantly from those found in the standard language.
Origin

PIE word *h₁nómn̥ From the Middle English nominalle (“of nouns”), borrowed from Latin nōminālis (“of names”), from nōmen (“name”).

Word family

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