# nominal

/ˈnɑmənəɫ/ (US) · /nˈɒmɪnəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/nominal
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. in name only

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal

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

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

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

adjective · CEFR B2 · Formal

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

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

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

### 3. unadjusted for inflation

adjective · CEFR C1 · Technical

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

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

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

### 4. functioning as planned

adjective · CEFR C2 · Technical

working correctly and according to the original design or plan.

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

- The engineers confirmed that all systems were nominal after the satellite reached orbit.
- Despite the initial pressure drop, the flight director reported that all propulsion parameters had returned to nominal levels.

### 5. relating to nouns

adjective · CEFR C1 · Technical

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

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

- In the phrase 'the rich', the word 'rich' has a nominal function.
- The researcher analysed the frequency of nominal clauses in academic prose compared to informal spoken registers.

### 6. a noun-like word

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

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

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

- The teacher explained how a nominal can be the subject of a verb.
- The morphosyntactic properties of nominals in this dialect differ significantly from those found in the standard language.

## Examples

- They charged a nominal fee of one dollar for the service.
- Although he was the nominal head of the committee, his assistant made all the actual decisions.
- 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.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.