cardinal

[kahr-dn-l] / ˈkɑr dn l /

ADJECTIVE

important, key

Synonyms

STRONGEST

overriding

STRONG

basic central chief essential first fundamental leading main primary prime principal ruling

WEAK

basal bottom-line constitutive foremost greatest highest indispensable overruling paramount pivotal preeminent vital

Antonyms

STRONG

additional auxiliary extra inessential inferior last least minor nonessential outside peripheral secondary subordinate trivial unimportant unnecessary

WEAK

insignificant negligible

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Her crime, she believes, is “the cardinal scientific sin of anthropomorphizing trees by using the metaphor of the mother tree.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Jean-Paul Vesco, the Franco-Algerian cardinal of the Catholic Church who serves as the Archbishop of Algiers, wrote in a statement.

From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026

He was named head of the church in New York by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009, who later made him cardinal.

From BBC • Dec. 18, 2025

In turning the Trojans into perennial title contenders, Carroll set out to “put a fence” around the Southland, to keep all of its top prospects at home, in cardinal and gold.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 3, 2025

Monod and Jacob, working with Arthur Pardee, a microbial geneticist from America, discovered three cardinal principles that governed the regulation of genes.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Vocabulary lists containing cardinal

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