titular
Other forms: titularly
You might say you’re the boss man in your household, but if everybody else in the family ignores you, 'boss man' is probably a titular position for you. In other words, it’s just a title. There’s no power behind it.
We get titular from the Latin word titulus, meaning "title." Nowadays, it means that you hold an official title but don’t have any power or responsibility along with it. The Queen of England is a titular head of state. She doesn’t actually govern. A titular director doesn’t direct. Titular can also mean referencing the title. If you're playing the role of Dave in the play All About Dave, you're playing the titular role.
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existing in name only
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of or bearing a title signifying status or function“of titular rank”
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of or associated with or bearing a title signifying nobility“titular dignitaries”
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of or relating to a legal title to somethingsynonyms: titulary
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of or pertaining to the title of a work of art“performed well in the titular (or title) role”“the titular theme of the book”
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Vocabulary lists containing titular
Recommendations for video games, a new Bob Dylan song, and stories about the past and future of sports all contributed timely vocabulary to this week's list of words from the culture beat.
In this classic Russian short story, a low-level bureaucrat's life is upended when he attempts to purchase a new overcoat. Learn these words from the translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky.
In this famous essay, Emerson argues against conformity and suggests that individuals must rely on their on their own ideas. Here are links to our lists for other works by Ralph Waldo Emerson: Nature, The Young American