ENGLISH
REFERENCE

nominal

adj.
C1 Advanced US //ˈnɑmənəɫ// UK //nˈɒmɪnəl// nom·i·nal Technical

adj. describing something that is very small or exists in name only. You use this when the official value or name of something is different from its real importance or cost.

adj. existing in name or form only rather than in reality; relating to a value that has not been adjusted for factors like inflation or taxes.


SIMPLE

They charged a nominal fee of one dollar for the service.

CONTEXTUAL

Although he was the nominal head of the committee, his assistant made all the actual decisions.

COMPLEX

Economists often distinguish between nominal wages and real wages to account for the eroding effect of inflation on a worker's actual purchasing power over time.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

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

Usage

Often used to modify nouns like 'fee', 'sum', 'head', or 'value'. In technical contexts, it is frequently contrasted with 'real' or 'effective'.

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