nominal

Intermediatezipf 3.60

Pronunciation

/ˈnɒmɪnl/(NOM-ih-nl)

Part of speech

adjectiveformal

Chinese

名义上的;象征性的;微不足道的

Definition

Existing in name only; very small or far below the real value; (of a price or fee) token, not reflecting actual cost.

Word family

  • nominally/ˈnɒmɪnəli/(adv)名义上

Collocations

  • nominal fee
  • nominal value
  • nominal leader
  • nominally independent
  • nominal amount

Examples

  1. 1.The land was sold for a nominal fee of one dollar — the real value of the deal lay in the development rights. (token amount)
  2. 2.He was the nominal head of the organisation, but the real decisions were made by the board. (in name only)

Synonyms

  • token/ˈtoʊkən/symbolic, not substantial
  • symbolic/sɪmˈbɒlɪk/representing something — not real
  • titular/ˈtɪtʃulər/holding a title but no real authority

Etymology

from Latin "nominalis" (of a name) — "nomen" (name) — existing only as a name, not in substance