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nominally

American

[nom-uh-nl-ee] / ˈnɒm ə nl i /

adverb

by or as regards name; in name; ostensibly.

He was nominally the leader, but others actually ran the organization.

Etymology

Origin of nominally

First recorded in 1655–65; nominal + -ly

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

She knows her craft and is nominally proud of belonging to a union.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2026

Yeah, the religious figure is nominally at the top of everything and, in fact, actually at the bottom of everything.

From Slate • Mar. 11, 2026

It’s nominally about former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara and the Vietnam War, but Rhodes clearly intends the contemporary resonance:

From Salon • Feb. 28, 2026

The astronomer also said the star identified was slightly smaller than one scientists would "nominally expect to turn into a black hole."

From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026

Day 150 Engines fired nominally for a mid-course trajectory correction.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023