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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of notional
But the height was already enough to eliminate Chris Nilsen, a U.S. pole vaulter and the silver medallist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, who was a notional rival.
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Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2024
For weeks, some have been drawing up and circulating notional plans for a truncated nominating contest that would culminate at the party’s convention in Chicago in August.
—Brian Bennett, TIME, 21 July 2024
His National Security Commission is strategic and focused on achieving broad CCP goals, not on crisis management and preventing interagency friction, like its notional American analog.
—Christopher Johnson, Foreign Affairs, 22 Feb. 2023
Members of this notional committee tell us there's no hidden hand — no command and control.
—Axios, 12 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for notional 
Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2024
For weeks, some have been drawing up and circulating notional plans for a truncated nominating contest that would culminate at the party’s convention in Chicago in August.
—Brian Bennett, TIME, 21 July 2024
His National Security Commission is strategic and focused on achieving broad CCP goals, not on crisis management and preventing interagency friction, like its notional American analog.
—Christopher Johnson, Foreign Affairs, 22 Feb. 2023
Members of this notional committee tell us there's no hidden hand — no command and control.
—Axios, 12 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for notional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for notional
Adjective
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Eventually, a theoretical picture emerged for the supersolid.Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 6 Nov. 2024
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These partnerships are crucial for pushing quantum computing beyond its theoretical potential and into practical, scalable business solutions.Yuval Boger, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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And the exasperation goes from imaginary frustration to real annoyance.Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 18 Nov. 2024
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And through her mesmerizing filmmaking, Kapadia creates a world that didn’t seem possible — which, of course, reinforces how imaginary this new place might prove to be.Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 15 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Perhaps that’s why Sedona attracts such a strong enclave of New Age spiritual devotees searching for metaphysical energy in the vortexes allegedly sprinkled throughout its buttes and spires.Erin Strout, Outside Online, 11 Nov. 2024
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His fascination was with light, optics and the metaphysical, his layered geometric forms made with almost scientific precision.Nargess Banks, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Everyone read a fictitious story about a school that was running out of water because its local aquifer was drying up.Kaitlin Sullivan, NBC News, 9 Oct. 2024
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To Kaplan, the onscreen romantic chemistry between the two fictitious lead characters, rival booksellers Joe Fox and Kathleen Kelly, drew her attention.David Chiu, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The artist born in 1988 is known for her large-format, abstract charcoal drawings.The Editors of ARTnews, ARTnews.com, 5 Nov. 2024
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Before cuneiform, however, there was an archaic script using abstract pictographic signs called proto-cuneiform.Ashley Strickland, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Global news platforms picked up on the backstory of this almost mythical character, one who certainly looked the part, with Chang’s flowing robes and beard, often with a pet gibbon trailing in his wake.Mathew Scott, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Nov. 2024
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Tinker bells and mermaids, and there are so many more statues of women as mythical figures than women who have lived and fought and celebrated.CNT Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The Shakespearean conceptual artist who turned Romeo and Juliet into Hopeless Fountain Kingdom.Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2024
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This is the conceptual link between WOC and the finance-theoretic concept known as the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH).George Calhoun, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Set in a fictional North Carolina town, One Tree Hill followed two half-brothers, Lucas (Murray) and Nathan (Lafferty), who are forced to navigate high school and social circles despite having a strained relationship.Lexy Perez, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Nov. 2024
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At the beginning of Gladiator II, he is forced to return to Rome after an army led by the fictional general Marcus Acacius (Pedro Pascal) invades Numidia, kills Lucius’ wife and son, and sells him into slavery as a gladiator.Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near notional
Cite this Entry
“Notional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/notional. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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