What does “cardinal” mean?
- 1
adjectivemost important; basic
The cardinal rule of the job is never to lie to clients.
- 2
nouna senior priest in the Roman Catholic Church
The cardinals met in Rome to elect a new pope.
- 3
nouna North American songbird, the male of which is bright red
A cardinal was singing in the tree.
Cardinal at a glance
- Part of speech
- adjective & noun
- CEFR level
- C2 (proficient)
- Pronunciation
- /ˈkɑrdənəl/ · KAR-duh-nul
How to use “cardinal” correctly
“Cardinal numbers” are one, two, three; “ordinal numbers” are first, second, third.
Common phrases with “cardinal”
- cardinal rule
- cardinal sin
- cardinal numbers
- cardinal points
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Synonyms (similar meaning)
- fundamental
- chief
- principal
“cardinal” is on these word lists
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