1
as in theoretical
dealing with or expressing a quality or idea
she has a notional understanding of romantic love but no actual experience of being in love
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in imaginary
not real and existing only in the imagination
your computer's "visits" to various parts of cyberspace are entirely notional—you stay put and the Web pages come to you
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of notional
The right wing-back is outstanding at maintaining his width and providing an overlapping option, with the notional right winger (usually either Bergwijn or Simons) dropping inside to create an overload in midfield.
—
Jacob Whitehead, The Athletic, 10 July 2024
Note that the share price of e.l.f. is 26% higher than that of EL, so the notional exposure of one long elf call spread vs one short EL call spread does not offset one another perfectly.
—Michael Khouw, CNBC, 28 Oct. 2024
Massive volume of over 200 million shares ( three times average volume) states that the nearly $20 billion (notional value) of short positions raced to the exit door.
—Jeff Kilburg, CNBC, 25 Oct. 2024
Mauritius may have gambled with its national dowry, but its consideration for a destitute citizenry wasn’t merely notional.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for notional
Jacob Whitehead, The Athletic, 10 July 2024
Note that the share price of e.l.f. is 26% higher than that of EL, so the notional exposure of one long elf call spread vs one short EL call spread does not offset one another perfectly.
—Michael Khouw, CNBC, 28 Oct. 2024
Massive volume of over 200 million shares ( three times average volume) states that the nearly $20 billion (notional value) of short positions raced to the exit door.
—Jeff Kilburg, CNBC, 25 Oct. 2024
Mauritius may have gambled with its national dowry, but its consideration for a destitute citizenry wasn’t merely notional.
—Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for notional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for notional
Adjective
-
This transition from theoretical to practical confrontation is all but debilitating, as the grieving father reaches the limits of his empathy.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
24 Feb. 2025
-
These regulations and safety measures are not just theoretical.—
Essence,
Essence,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
That’s when Cora fired up some kind of imaginary jukebox inside his head and proceeded to dance the day away.—
Steve Buckley,
The Athletic,
16 Feb. 2025
-
Gradually, an imaginary narrative for the property took shape.—
Blaine Davis,
New York Times,
11 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Given the baroque language of the text, not to mention the metaphysical events within the narrative itself, Dieter’s exact exploits remain open for interpretation.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
7 Feb. 2025
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As in Dante, the metaphysical landscape is taken seriously and is carefully documented, as if the reader might someday go there and need to know the rules.—
Elisa Gonzalez,
The New Yorker,
3 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Created by Chris Romano and Eric Falconer, who also are believed to be back for the sequel, Blue Mountain State is about a fictitious university, Blue Mountain State, and its football team, the Mountain Goats.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
17 Feb. 2025
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Last month, its editor revealed that A.I. had been used to tweak the Hungarian accents of its stars, Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones, and to create fictitious architectural plans and buildings for the closing retrospective of the main character’s career.—
Michael Schulman,
The New Yorker,
6 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The costs of an aging and diminished society feel more abstract.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
The New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2025
-
Justice, in this context, is not merely an abstract ideal.—
Gyunduz Mamedov,
TIME,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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So much so in fact, that echoes of that mythical landscape unexpectedly exist today outside a town three hours due north of Melbourne, Australia.—
Natalie Hoberman,
Forbes,
22 Feb. 2025
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Universal took to its official social media accounts to release the first photo from the film, which shows Matt Damon in costume as Odysseus, the mythical Greek hero who spends a decade trying to return home after fighting in the Trojan War.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Thankfully, my mother held on to a majority of my childhood relics, including handwritten movie reviews, conceptual magazines, comics and lots of artwork — all tinged with my angsty ’90s spirit.—
Jennifer Sodini,
Rolling Stone,
24 Feb. 2025
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One Japanese economist runs a conceptual clock that counts down to his country’s final child: the current readout is January 5, 2720.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
The New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Originally a spinoff of the NBC sitcom, A Different World first centered on Denise’s life as an undergrad at Hillman College, a fictional historically Black college in Virginia.—
Emily Krauser,
People.com,
23 Feb. 2025
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Faizon is perhaps best known for playing the manager of fictional department store Gimbels in 2003's Elf.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
22 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Notional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/notional. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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