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nominal attempt

[ˈnɑːmɪnəl əˈtɛmpt]
nounpl: nominal attempts
tentativa nominal
1. A superficial or token effort made to appear to be trying without genuine commitment or serious intent
The company made only a nominal attempt to reduce its carbon footprint.
A empresa fez apenas uma tentativa nominal para reduzir sua pegada de carbono.
2. An effort that exists in name only, lacking real substance or effectiveness
His nominal attempt at studying resulted in failing the exam.
Sua tentativa nominal de estudar resultou em reprovação no exame.
NYC Slang
phony effort
Synonyms
half-hearted attempttoken effortsuperficial tryperfunctory attemptlip service
Antonyms
genuine attemptserious effortwholehearted trycommitted endeavorsincere attempt

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
tentativa nominal
Standard usage in Brazilian Portuguese
São Paulo
tentativa de fachada
Colloquial variant emphasizing the superficial nature
Portugal
tentativa nominal
Standard usage in European Portuguese

Related Idioms & Phrases

go through the motions
pay lip service
make a show of something
pretend to try
half-baked effort
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