nominative
adjective
nom·i·na·tive ˈnä-mə-nə-tiv 
ˈnäm-nə-;
senses 2 & 3 are also
ˈnä-mə-ˌnā- 1
a
: of, relating to, or being a grammatical case (see case entry 1 sense 3a) that typically marks the subject of a verb especially in languages that have relatively full inflection
nominative case
b
: of or relating to the nominative case
a nominative ending
2
: nominated or appointed by nomination
3
: bearing a person's name
nominative noun
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Those were nominative, meaning they could only be used by the gymnast who secured them, so if Carey made the four-person team, the Americans could not have replaced her. 
Rachel Axon, USA TODAY, 16 June 2021 Jade Carey of Arizona also has an Olympic berth locked up after earning a nominative spot based on her World Cup performances. Will Graves, baltimoresun.com, 27 June 2021 Jade Carey of Arizona also has an Olympic berth locked up after earning a nominative pot based on her World Cup performances. Will Graves, Chron, 27 June 2021 Skinner also was third on vault behind Biles and Jade Carey, who already has a nominative spot in Tokyo thanks to being the top finisher on both vault and floor in the individual apparatus World Cup series. Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, 26 June 2021 Jade Carey, who earned a nominative individual spot through the World Cup series, is the only gymnast who entered the meet with her spot already secured. BostonGlobe.com, 26 June 2021 In first place on both floor exercise and vault in the apparatus World Cup series, Carey mathematically locked up a nominative spot that goes to the top eligible gymnast in each event way back in the spring of 2020. Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, 16 June 2021 In a case of nominative determinism at its best, Parrott—a tall, bespectacled righty from southern California—was a first-round draft pick of the Orioles. Jon Tayler, SI.com, 18 June 2019 Kelvin Droegemeier great example of nominative determinism — where your name lines up with your job — as Kelvin is the name of a unit on the thermodynamic temperature scale (one Kelvin is equal to one degree on the Celsius scale). Umair Irfan, Vox, 1 Aug. 2018 See More
Rachel Axon, USA TODAY, 16 June 2021 Jade Carey of Arizona also has an Olympic berth locked up after earning a nominative spot based on her World Cup performances. Will Graves, baltimoresun.com, 27 June 2021 Jade Carey of Arizona also has an Olympic berth locked up after earning a nominative pot based on her World Cup performances. Will Graves, Chron, 27 June 2021 Skinner also was third on vault behind Biles and Jade Carey, who already has a nominative spot in Tokyo thanks to being the top finisher on both vault and floor in the individual apparatus World Cup series. Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, 26 June 2021 Jade Carey, who earned a nominative individual spot through the World Cup series, is the only gymnast who entered the meet with her spot already secured. BostonGlobe.com, 26 June 2021 In first place on both floor exercise and vault in the apparatus World Cup series, Carey mathematically locked up a nominative spot that goes to the top eligible gymnast in each event way back in the spring of 2020. Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, 16 June 2021 In a case of nominative determinism at its best, Parrott—a tall, bespectacled righty from southern California—was a first-round draft pick of the Orioles. Jon Tayler, SI.com, 18 June 2019 Kelvin Droegemeier great example of nominative determinism — where your name lines up with your job — as Kelvin is the name of a unit on the thermodynamic temperature scale (one Kelvin is equal to one degree on the Celsius scale). Umair Irfan, Vox, 1 Aug. 2018 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English nominatyf, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French nominatif, from Latin (casus) nominativus nominative case, from nominare; from the traditional use of the nominative form in naming a noun
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Phrases Containing nominative
Kids Definition
nominative
adjective
nom·i·na·tive ˈnä-mə-nə-tiv
: being or belonging to the case of a noun or pronoun that is usually the subject of a verb
"Mary" in "Mary sees Anne" is in the nominative case.