notional.

1. Existing as an idea, assumption, or conceptual representation rather than a concrete realization.

2. Describing the reference amount used to calculate payments or exposure under a financial contract.

3. Relating to the substantive meaning conveyed by a word rather than chiefly its grammatical function.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• a notional boundary
• a notional reader

On the page

The notional boundary survived on maps after the fences disappeared.

She wrote for a notional reader who knew nothing of the dispute.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary. Forms: Comparative more notional; superlative most notional where gradation is meaningful. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.