notional

adjective

no·​tion·​al ˈnō-sh(ə-)nəl 

1

: theoretical, speculative

2

: existing in the mind only : imaginary

3

: given to foolish or fanciful moods or ideas

4

a

: of, relating to, or being a notion or idea : conceptual

b(1)

: presenting an idea of a thing, action, or quality

has is notional in he has luck, relational in he has gone

(2)

: of or representing what exists or occurs in the world of things as distinguished from syntactic categories

notionality

ˌnō-shə-ˈna-lə-tē 

noun

notionally

ˈnō-sh(ə-)nə-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• abstract
• conceptual
• ideal
• ideational
• metaphysical
• theoretical
• theoretic

Examples of notional in a Sentence

The notional earnings of the company were close to the actual ones.

she has a notional understanding of romantic love but no actual experience of being in love

Recent Examples on the Web

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

As options trading expands, the notional value tied to bitcoin could increase substantially, without requiring physical bitcoin to be bought or sold. —Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1