nom·i·nal (n?m??-n?l)adj.1. a. Of, resembling, relating to, or consisting of a name or names.b. Assigned to or bearing a person’s name: nominal shares.2. a. Existing in name only; not real: “a person with a nominal religious position but no actual duties” (Leo Damrosch).b. Insignificantly small; trifling: a nominal sum.3. Philosophy Of or relating to nominalism.4. Economics Of or relating to an amount or rate that is not adjusted for inflation.5. Business Of or relating to the par value of a security rather than the market value.6. Grammar Of or relating to a noun or word group that functions as a noun.n. Grammar A word or group of words functioning as a noun.[Middle English nominalle, of nouns, from Latin n?min?lis, of names, from n?men, n?min-, name; see n??-men- in Indo-European roots.]nom?i·nal·ly adv.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.nominal (?n?m?n?l) adj1. in name only; theoretical: the nominal leader. 2. minimal in comparison with real worth or what is expected; token: a nominal fee. 3. of, relating to, constituting, bearing, or giving a name4. (Grammar) grammar of or relating to a noun or noun phrasen5. (Grammar) grammar a nominal element; a noun, noun phrase, or syntactically similar structure6. (Music, other) bell-ringing the harmonic an octave above the strike tone of a bell[C15: from Latin n?min?lis of a name, from n?men name] ?nominally advCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014nom?i?nal (?n?m ? nl) adj. 1. being such in name only; so-called; putative: the nominal head of the country. 2. (of a price, fee, etc.) named as a matter of form, being trifling in comparison with the actual value: a nominal price. 3. of, pertaining to, or constituting a name or names. 4. of, pertaining to, functioning as, or producing a noun: a nominal suffix. 5. containing, bearing, or giving a name or names. 6. Aerospace. performing or achieved within expected limits; normal and satisfactory. n. 7. a word or group of words functioning as a noun. [1425?75; late Middle English nominalle of a noun