cordial

/ˈkɔrdʒəl/
/ˈkɔdjəl/
IPA guide

Other forms: cordials

Use cordial to describe a relationship that is friendly and sincere but not overly close. A cordial greeting is perfectly pleasant but doesn't involve lots of hugging or excessive emotion.

You might have cordial relationships with most of the kids in your close, but only confide in your closest friends. In Middle English, this adjective meant "of the heart," borrowed from medieval Latin cordiālis, from Latin cor, "heart." This core sense of "heart" can be seen in the synonyms heartfelt and hearty. The noun cordial originally referred to a medicine or drink that stimulates the heart, but its current sense is "a liqueur."

Definitions of cordial
  1. adjective
    politely warm and friendly
    “a cordial handshake”
    synonyms:
    warm
    psychologically warm; friendly and responsive
  2. adjective
    diffusing warmth and friendliness
    “cordial relations”
    “a cordial greeting”
    synonyms: affable, amiable, genial
    friendly
    characteristic of or befitting a friend
  3. adjective
    sincerely or intensely felt
    “a cordial regard for his visitor's comfort”
    “a cordial abhorrence of waste”
    synonyms:
    sincere
    open and genuine; not deceitful
  4. noun
    strong highly flavored sweet liquor usually drunk after a meal
    synonyms: liqueur
    see moresee less
    types:
    show 23 types...
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    absinth, absinthe
    strong green liqueur flavored with wormwood and anise
    amaretto
    an Italian almond liqueur
    anisette, anisette de Bordeaux
    liquorice-flavored usually colorless sweet liqueur made from aniseed
    benedictine
    a French liqueur originally made by Benedictine monks
    Chartreuse
    aromatic green or yellow liqueur flavored with orange peel and hyssop and peppermint oils; made at monastery near Grenoble, France
    coffee liqueur
    coffee-flavored liqueur
    creme de cacao
    sweet liqueur flavored with vanilla and cacao beans
    creme de menthe
    sweet green or white mint-flavored liqueur
    creme de fraise
    strawberry-flavored liqueur
    Drambuie
    a sweet Scotch whisky liqueur
    Galliano
    golden Italian liqueur flavored with herbs
    orange liqueur
    liqueur flavored with orange
    kummel
    liqueur flavored with caraway seed or cumin
    maraschino, maraschino liqueur
    distilled from fermented juice of bitter wild marasca cherries
    pastis
    similar to absinthe but containing no wormwood
    Pernod
    (registered trademark) a liqueur flavored with anise
    pousse-cafe
    small drink served after dinner (especially several liqueurs poured carefully so as to remain in separate layers)
    ratafee, ratafia
    sweet liqueur made from wine and brandy flavored with plum or peach or apricot kernels and bitter almonds
    sambuca
    an Italian liqueur made with elderberries and flavored with licorice
    curacao, curacoa
    flavored with sour orange peel
    triple sec
    type of curacao having higher alcoholic content
    Grand Marnier
    an orange-flavored French liqueur
    Kahlua
    coffee-flavored liqueur made in Mexico
    type of:
    alcohol, alcoholic beverage, alcoholic drink, inebriant, intoxicant
    a liquor or brew containing alcohol as the active agent
Pronunciation
US
/ˈkɔrdʒəl/
UK
/ˈkɔdjəl/
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