cardinal

1 of 2

noun

car·di·nal ˈkärd-nəl How to pronounce cardinal (audio)

ˈkär-də-

plural cardinals

: a high ecclesiastical official of the Roman Catholic Church who ranks next below the pope and is appointed by him to assist him as a member of the college of cardinals (see college sense 4)

: cardinal number

—usually used in plural

[from its color, resembling that of the cardinal's robes] : a crested finch (Cardinalis cardinalis of the family Cardinalidae) of the eastern U.S. and adjacent Canada, the southwestern U.S., and Mexico to Belize which has a black face and heavy red bill in both sexes and is nearly completely red in the male

: any of several red-headed passerine birds (genus Paroaria of the family Thraupidae) of South America and the West Indies that are grayish to blackish above with white underparts

cardinalship

ˈkärd-nəl-ˌship How to pronounce cardinal (audio)

ˈkär-də-

noun

cardinal

2 of 2

adjective

: of basic importance

a cardinal principle

: very serious or grave

a cardinal sin

cardinally adverb

Did you know?

Our word cardinal goes back to the Latin adjective cardinalis, which meant “serving as a hinge.” The root of this word is the noun cardo, meaning “hinge.” Since a hinge is the device on which a door turns, cardo came to mean “something on which a development turns” or “something very important.” Later the Roman Catholic Church used the adjective cardinalis to refer to principal churches and priests and then to mean “a clergyman of the highest rank, next to the pope.” When borrowed into English, cardinalis became cardinal. A cardinal's robes are a deep red color, and this color influenced the naming of the bird whose color was like that of a cardinal's robes.

Example Sentences

Noun The Pope appointed two new cardinals this year. Adjective the cardinal principles of news reporting My cardinal rule is to always be honest.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Heads rolling on cobblestones, the robes of kings and cardinals, Matisse's The Red Studio, the red in the tricolor flag of Liberty Leading the People by Delacroix.

David Coggins, Town & Country, 10 Dec. 2015 In fact a number of the cardinals from Brazil and bishops are friends of Pope Francis.

Bradley J. Fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, 7 June 2017 One small clearing is dotted with several boulders where children could sit and watch for goldfinches and cardinals at three bird feeders.

Jim Barnes, Washington Post, 8 May 2017 There are deer in the woods, large-mouth bass in the water and cardinals in the air.

Jeanne Houck, Cincinnati.com, 28 Apr. 2017 A year later, Pope John Paul II made Pell a cardinal.

Andrew Sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, 30 June 2017 A cardinal in charge of the Vatican's finances has been charged with multiple sexual offenses by Australian police, in one of the most significant indictments against a top-ranking leader of the Catholic Church.

Julie Zauzmer, Alaska Dispatch News, 29 June 2017 His January 20 inauguration ceremony featured an unprecedented six speakers, including a rabbi and a cardinal.

Adam Chandler, The Atlantic, 25 May 2017 The main Italian in the cast is Silvio Orlando as a beleaguered, mole-flecked cardinal tasked with advising this cocky young Pope, and thwarted at nearly every turn.

Richard Lawson, VanityFair.com, 13 Jan. 2017

Adjective

Keeping good records is a cardinal rule of bureaucracy, and at government agencies routinely hiding the sensitive ones, and utterly suppressing the most embarrassing ones, is the prevailing general imperative.

Daniel Ford, The New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2022 Isn't that the cardinal rule when living with roommates?

Dalton Ross, EW.com, 12 Aug. 2022 The Yalalag dancers associate it with the four cardinal points and the union of the peoples who live in the mountains of the state.

Fernanda Pérez Sánchez, Vogue, 8 Aug. 2022 The Razorbacks pull off the block lettering above the front chest numbers better than most anyone in the country, perhaps other than Oklahoma, and their logo is one of the more underrated in the SEC, looking great on the side of a cardinal helmet.

Ben Flanagan | Bflanagan@al.com, al, 4 Aug. 2022 The pursuit and poison of fame are its cardinal fixations.

Wired, 28 July 2022 Ramachandran said there are many lessons to learn from studying rural communities and that the cardinal goal for researchers should be listening to people carefully.

Laura Garcia, San Antonio Express-News, 25 July 2022 In some senses, the top of the large cardinal hierarchy is in sight.

Dave Linkletter, Popular Mechanics, 22 July 2022 Emma Greig, project leader of Project FeederWatch with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, recommends bee balm (Monarda), cardinal flowers (Lobelia cardinalis) and hanging baskets of fuchsia.

Nevin Martell, Washington Post, 20 July 2022 See More

cardinal

adjective

as in main

coming before all others in importance the cardinal rule of medicine: do no harm

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

main
greatest
highest
primary
predominant
dominant
foremost
principal
first
chief
big
central
supreme
key
leading
sovereign
master
capital
paramount
overriding
premier
great
primal
preeminent
prior
arch
grand
major
distinguished
sovran
number one
overbearing
star
top
eminent
overmastering
outstanding
numero uno
senior
illustrious
signal
notable
noteworthy
important
stellar
noble
superior
influential
prestigious
momentous
No. 1
matchless
mighty
famous
incomparable
high-level
significant
celebrated
renowned
famed
unparalleled
unsurpassed
unequalled
unequaled

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

last
least
minor
trivial
secondary
subordinate
unimportant
insignificant
negligible
slight
collateral
inferior
inconsequential
trifling
inconsiderable
subsidiary

Synonym Chooser

Some common synonyms of cardinal are essential, fundamental, and vital. While all these words mean "so important as to be indispensable," cardinal suggests something on which an outcome turns or depends.

a cardinal rule in buying a home

The meanings of essential and cardinal largely overlap; however, essential implies belonging to the very nature of a thing and therefore being incapable of removal without destroying the thing itself or its character.

conflict is essential in drama

The words fundamental and cardinal are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, fundamental applies to something that is a foundation without which an entire system or complex whole would collapse.

fundamental principles of algebra

While in some cases nearly identical to cardinal, vital suggests something that is necessary to a thing's continued existence or operation.

cut off from vital supplies

单词	cardinal
释义	cardinal 1 of 2 noun car·di·nal ˈkärd-nəl ˈkär-də- plural cardinals 1 : a high ecclesiastical official of the Roman Catholic Church who ranks next below the pope and is appointed by him to assist him as a member of the college of cardinals (see college sense 4) 2 : cardinal number —usually used in plural 3 a [from its color, resembling that of the cardinal's robes] : a crested finch (Cardinalis cardinalis of the family Cardinalidae) of the eastern U.S. and adjacent Canada, the southwestern U.S., and Mexico to Belize which has a black face and heavy red bill in both sexes and is nearly completely red in the male b : any of several red-headed passerine birds (genus Paroaria of the family Thraupidae) of South America and the West Indies that are grayish to blackish above with white underparts cardinalship ˈkärd-nəl-ˌship ˈkär-də- noun Illustration of cardinal cardinal 3 cardinal 2 of 2 adjective 1 : of basic importance a cardinal principle 2 : very serious or grave a cardinal sin cardinally adverb Did you know? Our word cardinal goes back to the Latin adjective cardinalis, which meant “serving as a hinge.” The root of this word is the noun cardo, meaning “hinge.” Since a hinge is the device on which a door turns, cardo came to mean “something on which a development turns” or “something very important.” Later the Roman Catholic Church used the adjective cardinalis to refer to principal churches and priests and then to mean “a clergyman of the highest rank, next to the pope.” When borrowed into English, cardinalis became cardinal. A cardinal's robes are a deep red color, and this color influenced the naming of the bird whose color was like that of a cardinal's robes. Synonyms Adjective arch big capital central chief dominant first foremost grand great greatest highest key leading main master number one No. 1 numero uno overbearing overmastering overriding paramount predominant preeminent premier primal primary principal prior sovereign sovran supreme See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Noun The Pope appointed two new cardinals this year. Adjective the cardinal principles of news reporting My cardinal rule is to always be honest. Recent Examples on the Web Noun Heads rolling on cobblestones, the robes of kings and cardinals, Matisse's The Red Studio, the red in the tricolor flag of Liberty Leading the People by Delacroix. David Coggins, Town & Country, 10 Dec. 2015 In fact a number of the cardinals from Brazil and bishops are friends of Pope Francis. Bradley J. Fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, 7 June 2017 One small clearing is dotted with several boulders where children could sit and watch for goldfinches and cardinals at three bird feeders. Jim Barnes, Washington Post, 8 May 2017 There are deer in the woods, large-mouth bass in the water and cardinals in the air. Jeanne Houck, Cincinnati.com, 28 Apr. 2017 A year later, Pope John Paul II made Pell a cardinal. Andrew Sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, 30 June 2017 A cardinal in charge of the Vatican's finances has been charged with multiple sexual offenses by Australian police, in one of the most significant indictments against a top-ranking leader of the Catholic Church. Julie Zauzmer, Alaska Dispatch News, 29 June 2017 His January 20 inauguration ceremony featured an unprecedented six speakers, including a rabbi and a cardinal. Adam Chandler, The Atlantic, 25 May 2017 The main Italian in the cast is Silvio Orlando as a beleaguered, mole-flecked cardinal tasked with advising this cocky young Pope, and thwarted at nearly every turn. Richard Lawson, VanityFair.com, 13 Jan. 2017 Adjective Keeping good records is a cardinal rule of bureaucracy, and at government agencies routinely hiding the sensitive ones, and utterly suppressing the most embarrassing ones, is the prevailing general imperative. Daniel Ford, The New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2022 Isn't that the cardinal rule when living with roommates? Dalton Ross, EW.com, 12 Aug. 2022 The Yalalag dancers associate it with the four cardinal points and the union of the peoples who live in the mountains of the state. Fernanda Pérez Sánchez, Vogue, 8 Aug. 2022 The Razorbacks pull off the block lettering above the front chest numbers better than most anyone in the country, perhaps other than Oklahoma, and their logo is one of the more underrated in the SEC, looking great on the side of a cardinal helmet. Ben Flanagan \| Bflanagan@al.com, al, 4 Aug. 2022 The pursuit and poison of fame are its cardinal fixations. Wired, 28 July 2022 Ramachandran said there are many lessons to learn from studying rural communities and that the cardinal goal for researchers should be listening to people carefully. Laura Garcia, San Antonio Express-News, 25 July 2022 In some senses, the top of the large cardinal hierarchy is in sight. Dave Linkletter, Popular Mechanics, 22 July 2022 Emma Greig, project leader of Project FeederWatch with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, recommends bee balm (Monarda), cardinal flowers (Lobelia cardinalis) and hanging baskets of fuchsia. Nevin Martell, Washington Post, 20 July 2022 See More Word History Etymology Noun Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin cardinalis, from Late Latin cardinalis, adjective — see cardinal entry 2 Adjective Middle English, from Late Latin cardinalis, from Latin, serving as a hinge, from cardin-, cardo hinge First Known Use Noun before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Adjective 14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Phrases Containing cardinal cardinal flower cardinal number cardinal point cardinal sin cardinal virtue cardinal flower cardinal number cardinal point cardinal sin cardinal virtue Kids Definition cardinal 1 of 2 noun car·di·nal ˈkärd-nəl ˈkär-də- 1 : a high official of the Roman Catholic Church ranking next below the pope 2 : a bright red songbird with a crest and a whistling call cardinal 2 of 2 adjective : of first importance : main, principal Arnold Jones had apparently forgotten one of the cardinal rules of survival … Jerry Spinelli, Maniac Magee cardinal adjective as in main coming before all others in importance the cardinal rule of medicine: do no harm Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance main greatest highest primary predominant dominant foremost principal first chief big central supreme key leading sovereign master capital paramount overriding premier great primal preeminent prior arch grand major distinguished sovran number one overbearing star top eminent overmastering outstanding numero uno senior illustrious signal notable noteworthy important stellar noble superior influential prestigious momentous No. 1 matchless mighty famous incomparable high-level significant celebrated renowned famed unparalleled unsurpassed unequalled unequaled Antonyms & Near Antonyms last least minor trivial secondary subordinate unimportant insignificant negligible slight collateral inferior inconsequential trifling inconsiderable subsidiary See More Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of cardinal are essential, fundamental, and vital. While all these words mean "so important as to be indispensable," cardinal suggests something on which an outcome turns or depends. a cardinal rule in buying a home The meanings of essential and cardinal largely overlap; however, essential implies belonging to the very nature of a thing and therefore being incapable of removal without destroying the thing itself or its character. conflict is essential in drama The words fundamental and cardinal are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, fundamental applies to something that is a foundation without which an entire system or complex whole would collapse. fundamental principles of algebra While in some cases nearly identical to cardinal, vital suggests something that is necessary to a thing's continued existence or operation. cut off from vital supplies Phrases Containing cardinal cardinal virtue cardinal virtue
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cardinal

noun

Illustration of cardinal

adjective

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Phrases Containing cardinal

Kids Definition

noun

adjective

adjective

Synonym Chooser

Phrases Containing cardinal