Cardinal

Quick meaning: Cardinal is an adjective meaning Of fundamental importance; crucial, pivotal.

Meaning

Of fundamental importance; crucial, pivotal.

More Meanings

1. (nautical) Of or relating to the cardinal directions (north, south, east and west).
2. Having a bright red color (from the color of a Catholic cardinal’s cassock).
3. (astrology) Being one of the signs Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn, associated with initiation, creation, and force.
4. A deep red color, somewhat less vivid than scarlet, the traditional colour of a Catholic cardinal's cassock. (same as cardinal red)
5. Describing a “natural” number used to indicate quantity (e.g., zero, one, two, three), as opposed to an ordinal number indicating relative position.
6. (Roman Catholicism) One of the officials appointed by the pope in the Roman Catholic Church, ranking only below the pope, equal to the patriarchs, constituting the special college which elects the pope.
7. Any of various species of New-World passerine songbird in the genus Cardinalis, or in the family Cardinalidae more generally, or of similar appearance and once considered to be related to the former; so called because of their red plumage. (See Wikipedia article for taxonomical information.)

Example Sentences

a cardinal rule

a cardinal mark

Impudence is now a cardinal virtue.

the cardinal intersections of the zodiack

Word Forms

• cardinals

Synonyms for cardinal

Depending on context, synonyms include cardinalid, fundamental, important, carmine, key, score.

Antonyms for cardinal

Common opposites include ordinal.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include important, fundamental, primal, xxx, vi, vii.

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