in name only
in name only
Having the status of something only with label or terminology, but not in reality; nominally. He's a member of the party in name only—his voting record shows that his values are very divergent.
See also: name
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
in name only
nominally; not actual, only by terminology. The president is head of the country in name only. Congress makes the laws. Mr. Smith is the boss of the Smith Company in name only. Mrs. Smith handles all the business affairs.
See also: name
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
in name only
Also, only in name. Nominally, not actually. For example, He's the chief executive in name only; his vice-president makes all the decisions, or Theirs was a marriage only in name; they lived on different continents. [Late 1300s]
See also: name
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
in name only
by description but not in reality. 1993 Harper's Magazine In Western Europe the Communist parties shrank year after year…they had become small-bourgeois capitalist parties, Communist in name only.
See also: name
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
in ˌname ˈonly
officially recognized but not existing in reality: He’s party leader in name only.See also: name
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
- only in name
- designate
- designate (someone or something) as (something)
- designate as
- define
- define (something) as (something)
- define as
- stigmatize
- stigmatize (someone or something) as (something)
- stigmatize as