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nominal
in a sentence
grouped by contextual meaning

nominal as in:  a nominal fee

The insurance company proposes a nominal fee for all elective care so that patients will join the effort to eliminate unnecessary expense.
nominal = small
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  • There's also a nominal airport tax as you depart.
  • She receives only a nominal salary. Her real income comes from her stock options.
    nominal = insignificantly small
  • Their previous home had a mud roof which leaked in the rain and we had two spare rooms, so they stayed with us for a nominal rent and their children went to our school for free.  (source)
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Show 10 more with 2 word variations
  • They made more bricks, and this time Deo and the committee managed to get a local craftsman to fire the bricks for a nominal fee.  (source)
    nominal = small
  • So she nominally continued her research, while in reality she focused on refining her mathematical model of the sun.†  (source)
  • Their power was nominal but they had at least been able to keep the state government in the hands of native Georgians.  (source)
  • Nominally, Sasha, I am here to help plan the inaugural congress of RAPP, which is to be held in June.†  (source)
  • ...there is now another vacancy open which entitles a member of the League to a salary of £4 a week for purely nominal services.  (source)
    nominal = insignificantly small
  • Despite attending a nominally Christian school, I had not yet been inside a church—and I wasn't about to dare the deed now.†  (source)
  • It is a gem, and 'Full many a gem,' as the poet says, has been allowed to go at a nominal price because the public knew no better, because...  (source)
    nominal = small
  • Nominally, it would pass to Mrs. Tallis, but ultimately the success of the evening would be in Cecilia's care.†  (source)
  • Even your constant little heart need not take fright at such a nominal change.  (source)
  • The police were stationed in Mukhtar's home, nominally to protect her, and they listened to the entire interview.†  (source)
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nominal as in:  he's nominally in charge

It was nominally written by the artist, but everyone suspects a ghostwriter did the bulk of the work.
nominally = in name only
Show 3 more with this contextual meaning
  • The King became a nominal monarch when he was forced to accept the constitution and democratic control of the state.
    nominal = in name, but not in reality
  • When they refer to the 100-year change in nominal average wages, they are referring to wages that are not adjusted for inflation (changing prices over the years).
    nominal = in form or name, but not in reality
  • The nominal value of my company declined when the stock market crashed yesterday, but the company is intrinsically as valuable as the day before.
    nominal = true officially, but not in reality
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  • The Thain was the master of the Shire-moot, and captain of the Shire-muster and the Hobbitry-in-arms, but as muster and moot were only held in times of emergency, which no longer occurred, the Thainship had ceased to be more than a nominal dignity.  (source)
    nominal = in name, but not in reality
  • Nominally he is only an adjutant on Kutuzov's staff, but he does everything alone.  (source)
    Nominally = officially (in title)
  • "I think he has only been its nominal head for many years," said Anne.  (source)
    nominal = in name
  • And our dinner hour is nominally (for we dine at all hours) five!  (source)
    nominally = officially (in name only)
  • It was no nominal meal that we were going to make, but a vigorous reality.  (source)
    nominal = in form, but not in substance
  • …and there he would continue, nominally engaged with one of the largest folios in the collection, but really talking to Mr. Bennet, with little cessation, of his house and garden at Hunsford.  (source)
    nominally = officially
  • It was not that she lent money on interest, but it was known, for instance, that she had for some time past, in partnership with old Karamazov, actually invested in the purchase of bad debts for a trifle, a tenth of their nominal value, and afterwards had made out of them ten times their value.  (source)
    nominal = face (the amount of the debt, but not its value at the time of the investment)
  • "Well, sir," says Mr. George, "this man with me is the other party implicated in this unfortunate affair—nominally, only nominally— and my sole object is to prevent his getting into trouble on my account."  (source)
    nominally = in name, but not in reality
  • However, one excellent result of her general apathy was the long-delayed installation of Oak as bailiff; but he having virtually exercised that function for a long time already, the change, beyond the substantial increase of wages it brought, was little more than a nominal one addressed to the outside world.  (source)
  • Though nominally included in the census of Christendom, he was still an alien to it.  (source)
    nominally = officially
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