cardinal

A cardinal is a bright red songbird, and the word also refers to the bird's crimson color. In Catholicism, a cardinal is a high-ranking bishop. In math, you use cardinal numbers to count. A cardinal rule is one that is central and should not be broken.

Okay, that's a lot of definitions. How exactly are they related? In most cases, cardinal means central or essential. It's a cardinal principle that you use it to describe words of behavior like rule or sin. In the Church, cardinals form the central governing body, and in math the cardinal numbers (one, two, three) are the numbers you learn and use first.

Definitions of cardinal
  1. noun
    a variable color averaging a vivid red
    synonyms: carmine
    see moresee less
    type of:
    red, redness
    red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
  2. adjective
    serving as an essential component
    “a cardinal rule”
    synonyms: central, fundamental, key, primal
    important, of import
    of great significance or value
  3. adjective
    being or denoting a numerical quantity but not order
    “cardinal numbers”
    Synonyms:
    0, zero
    indicating the absence of any or all units under consideration
    non-zero
    not involving zero
    1, ane, i, one
    used of a single unit or thing; not two or more
    2, ii, two
    being one more than one
    3, iii, three
    being one more than two
    4, four, iv
    being one more than three
    5, five, v
    being one more than four
    6, half dozen, half-dozen, six, vi
    denoting a quantity consisting of six items or units
    7, seven, vii
    being one more than six
    8, eight, viii
    being one more than seven
    9, ix, nine
    denoting a quantity consisting of one more than eight and one less than ten
    10, ten, x
    being one more than nine
    11, eleven, xi
    being one more than ten
    12, dozen, twelve, xii
    denoting a quantity consisting of 12 items or units
    13, thirteen, xiii
    being one more than twelve
    14, fourteen, xiv
    being one more than thirteen
    15, fifteen, xv
    being one more than fourteen
    16, sixteen, xvi
    being one more than fifteen
    17, seventeen, xvii
    being one more than sixteen
    18, eighteen, xviii
    being one more than seventeen
    19, nineteen, xix
    being one more than eighteen
    20, twenty, xx
    denoting a quantity consisting of 20 items or units
    21, twenty-one, xxi
    being one more than twenty
    22, twenty-two, xxii
    being two more than twenty
    23, twenty-three, xxiii
    being three more than twenty
    24, twenty-four, xxiv
    being four more than twenty
    25, twenty-five, xxv
    being five more than twenty
    26, twenty-six, xxvi
    being six more than twenty
    27, twenty-seven, xxvii
    being seven more than twenty
    28, twenty-eight, xxviii
    being eight more than twenty
    29, twenty-nine, xxix
    being nine more than twenty
    30, thirty, xxx
    being ten more than twenty
    31, thirty-one, xxxi
    being one more than thirty
    32, thirty-two, xxxii
    being two more than thirty
    33, thirty-three, xxxiii
    being three more than thirty
    34, thirty-four, xxxiv
    being four more than thirty
    35, thirty-five, xxxv
    being five more than thirty
    36, thirty-six, xxxvi
    being six more than thirty
    37, thirty-seven, xxxvii
    being seven more than thirty
    38, thirty-eight, xxxviii
    being eight more than thirty
    39, ixl, thirty-nine
    being nine more than thirty
    40, forty, twoscore, xl
    being ten more than thirty
    41, forty-one, xli
    being one more than forty
    42, forty-two, xlii
    being two more than forty
    43, forty-three, xliii
    being three more than forty
    44, forty-four, xliv
    being four more than forty
    45, forty-five, xlv
    being five more than forty
    46, forty-six, xlvi
    being six more than forty
    47, forty-seven, xlvii
    being seven more than forty
    48, forty-eight, xlviii
    being eight more than forty
    49, forty-nine, il
    being nine more than forty
    50, fifty, l
    being ten more than forty
    51, fifty-one, li
    being one more than fifty
    52, fifty-two, lii
    being two more than fifty
    53, fifty-three, liii
    being three more than fifty
    54, fifty-four, liv
    being four more than fifty
    55, fifty-five, lv
    being five more than fifty
    56, fifty-six, lvi
    being six more than fifty
    57, fifty-seven, lvii
    being seven more than fifty
    58, fifty-eight, lviii
    being eight more than fifty
    59, fifty-nine, ilx
    being nine more than fifty
    60, lx, sixty, threescore
    being ten more than fifty
    61, lxi, sixty-one
    being one more than sixty
    62, lxii, sixty-two
    being two more than sixty
    63, lxiii, sixty-three
    being three more than sixty
    64, lxiv, sixty-four
    being four more than sixty
    65, lxv, sixty-five
    being five more than sixty
    66, lxvi, sixty-six
    being six more than sixty
    67, lxvii, sixty-seven
    being seven more than sixty
    68, lxviii, sixty-eight
    being eight more than sixty
    69, ilxx, sixty-nine
    being nine more than sixty
    70, lxx, seventy
    being ten more than sixty
    71, lxxi, seventy-one
    being one more than seventy
    72, lxxii, seventy-two
    being two more than seventy
    73, lxxiii, seventy-three
    being three more than seventy
    74, lxxiv, seventy-four
    being four more than seventy
    75, lxxv, seventy-five
    being five more than seventy
    76, lxxvi, seventy-six
    being six more than seventy
    77, lxxvii, seventy-seven
    being seven more than seventy
    78, lxxviii, seventy-eight
    being eight more than seventy
    79, ilxxx, seventy-nine
    being nine more than seventy
    80, eighty, fourscore, lxxx
    being ten more than seventy
    81, eighty-one, lxxxi
    being one more than eighty
    82, eighty-two, lxxxii
    being two more than eighty
    83, eighty-three, lxxxiii
    being three more than eighty
    84, eighty-four, lxxxiv
    being four more than eighty
    85, eighty-five, lxxxv
    being five more than eighty
    86, eighty-six, lxxxvi
    being six more than eighty
    87, eighty-seven, lxxxvii
    being seven more than eighty
    88, eighty-eight, lxxxviii
    being eight more than eighty
    89, eighty-nine, ixc
    being nine more than eighty
    90, ninety, xc
    being ten more than eighty
    91, ninety-one, xci
    being one more than ninety
    92, ninety-two, xcii
    being two more than ninety
    93, ninety-three, xciii
    being three more than ninety
    94, ninety-four, xciv
    being four more than ninety
    95, ninety-five, xcv
    being five more than ninety
    96, ninety-six, xcvi
    being six more than ninety
    97, ninety-seven, xcvii
    being seven more than ninety
    98, ninety-eight, xcviii
    being eight more than ninety
    99, ic, ninety-nine
    being nine more than ninety
    100, c, hundred, one hundred
    being ten more than ninety
    101, ci, hundred and one, one hundred one
    being one more than one hundred
    105, cv, one hundred five
    being five more than one hundred
    110, cx, one hundred ten
    being ten more than one hundred
    115, cxv, one hundred fifteen
    being five more than one hundred ten
    120, cxx, one hundred twenty
    being ten more than one hundred ten
    125, cxxv, one hundred twenty-five
    being five more than one hundred twenty
    130, cxxx, one hundred thirty
    being ten more than one hundred twenty
    135, cxxxv, one hundred thirty-five
    being five more than one hundred thirty
    140, cxl, one hundred forty
    being ten more than one hundred thirty
    145, cxlv, one hundred forty-five
    being five more than one hundred forty
    150, cl, one hundred fifty
    being ten more than one hundred forty
    155, clv, one hundred fifty-five
    being five more than one hundred fifty
    160, clx, one hundred sixty
    being ten more than one hundred fifty
    165, clxv, one hundred sixty-five
    being five more than one hundred sixty
    170, clxx, one hundred seventy
    being ten more than one hundred sixty
    175, clxxv, one hundred seventy-five
    being five more than one hundred seventy
    180, clxxx, one hundred eighty
    being ten more than one hundred seventy
    190, one hundred ninety, xcl
    being ten more than one hundred eighty
    200, cc, two hundred
    being ten more than one hundred ninety
    300, ccc, three hundred
    being one hundred more than two hundred
    400, cd, four hundred
    being one hundred more than three hundred
    500, d, five hundred
    denoting a quantity consisting of 500 items or units
    1000, k, m, one thousand, thousand
    denoting a quantity consisting of 1,000 items or units
    ten thousand
    denoting a quantity consisting of 10,000 items or units
    hundred thousand
    (in Roman numerals, C written with a macron over it) denoting a quantity consisting of 100,000 items or units
    million
    (in Roman numerals, M written with a macron over it) denoting a quantity consisting of 1,000,000 items or units
    billion
    denoting a quantity consisting of one thousand million items or units in the United States
    billion
    denoting a quantity consisting of one million million items or units in Great Britain
    trillion
    one million million in the United States
    trillion
    one quintillion in Great Britain
    zillion
    very large indeterminate number
    see moresee less
    Antonyms:
    ordinal
    being or denoting a numerical order in a series
    zero
    indicating an initial point or origin
    zeroth
    preceding even the first
    1st, first
    indicating the beginning unit in a series
    2d, 2nd, second
    coming next after the first in position in space or time or degree or magnitude
    3rd, tertiary, third
    coming next after the second and just before the fourth in position
    4th, fourth, quaternary
    coming next after the third and just before the fifth in position or time or degree or magnitude
    5th, fifth
    coming next after the fourth and just before the sixth in position
    6th, sixth
    coming next after the fifth and just before the seventh in position
    7th, seventh
    coming next after the sixth and just before the eighth in position
    8th, eighth
    coming next after the seventh and just before the ninth in position
    9th, ninth
    coming next after the eighth and just before the tenth in position
    10th, tenth
    coming next after the ninth and just before the eleventh in position
    11th, eleventh
    coming next after the tenth and just before the twelfth in position
    12th, twelfth
    coming next after the eleventh and just before the thirteenth in position
    13th, thirteenth
    coming next after the twelfth in position
    14th, fourteenth
    coming next after the thirteenth in position
    15th, fifteenth
    coming next after the fourteenth and just before the sixteenth in position
    16th, sixteenth
    coming next after the fifteenth in position
    17th, seventeenth
    coming next after the sixteenth in position
    18th, eighteenth
    coming next after the seventeenth in position
    19th, nineteenth
    coming next after the eighteenth in position
    umpteenth, umptieth, umteenth
    last in an indefinitely numerous series
    20th, twentieth
    coming next after the nineteenth in position
    21st, twenty-first
    coming next after the twentieth in position
    22nd, twenty-second
    coming next after the twenty-first in position
    23rd, twenty-third
    coming next after the twenty-second in position
    24th, twenty-fourth
    coming next after the twenty-third in position
    25th, twenty-fifth
    coming next after the twenty-fourth in position
    26th, twenty-sixth
    coming next after the twenty-fifth in position
    27th, twenty-seventh
    coming next after the twenty-sixth in position
    28th, twenty-eighth
    coming next after the twenty-seventh in position
    29th, twenty-ninth
    coming next after the twenty-eighth in position
    30th, thirtieth
    coming next after the twenty-ninth in position
    31st, thirty-first
    coming next after the thirtieth in position
    32nd, thirty-second
    the ordinal number of thirty-two in counting order
    33rd, thirty-third
    the ordinal number of thirty-three in counting order
    34th, thirty-fourth
    the ordinal number of thirty-four in counting order
    35th, thirty-fifth
    the ordinal number of thirty-five in counting order
    36th, thirty-sixth
    the ordinal number of thirty-six in counting order
    37th, thirty-seventh
    the ordinal number of thirty-seven in counting order
    38th, thirty-eighth
    the ordinal number of thirty-eight in counting order
    39th, thirty-ninth
    the ordinal number of thirty-nine in counting order
    40th, fortieth
    the ordinal number of forty in counting order
    41st, forty-first
    the ordinal number of forty-one in counting order
    42nd, forty-second
    the ordinal number of forty-two in counting order
    43rd, forty-third
    the ordinal number of forty-three in counting order
    44th, forty-fourth
    the ordinal number of forty-four in counting order
    45th, forty-fifth
    the ordinal number of forty-five in counting order
    46th, forty-sixth
    the ordinal number of forty-six in counting order
    47th, forty-seventh
    the ordinal number of forty-seven in counting order
    48th, forty-eighth
    the ordinal number of forty-eight in counting order
    49th, forty-ninth
    the ordinal number of forty-nine in counting order
    50th, fiftieth
    the ordinal number of fifty in counting order
    55th, fifty-fifth
    the ordinal number of fifty-five in counting order
    60th, sixtieth
    the ordinal number of sixty in counting order
    64th, sixty-fourth
    the ordinal number of sixty-four in counting order
    65th, sixty-fifth
    the ordinal number of sixty-five in counting order
    70th, seventieth
    the ordinal number of seventy in counting order
    75th, seventy-fifth
    the ordinal number of seventy-five in counting order
    80th, eightieth
    the ordinal number of eighty in counting order
    85th, eighty-fifth
    the ordinal number of eighty-five in counting order
    90th, ninetieth
    the ordinal number of ninety in counting order
    95th, ninety-fifth
    the ordinal number of ninety-five in counting order
    100th, centesimal, hundredth
    the ordinal number of one hundred in counting order
    101st, hundred-and-first
    the ordinal number of one hundred one in counting order
    105th, hundred-and-fifth
    the ordinal number of one hundred five in counting order
    110th, hundred-and-tenth
    the ordinal number of one hundred ten in counting order
    115th, hundred-and-fifteenth
    the ordinal number of one hundred fifteen in counting order
    120th, hundred-and-twentieth
    the ordinal number of one hundred twenty in counting order
    125th, hundred-and-twenty-fifth
    the ordinal number of one hundred twenty-five in counting order
    130th, hundred-and-thirtieth
    the ordinal number of one hundred thirty in counting order
    135th, hundred-and-thirty-fifth
    the ordinal number of one hundred thirty-five in counting order
    140th, hundred-and-fortieth
    the ordinal number of one hundred forty in counting order
    145th, hundred-and-forty-fifth
    the ordinal number of one hundred forty-five in counting order
    150th, hundred-and-fiftieth
    the ordinal number of one hundred fifty in counting order
    155th, hundred-and-fifty-fifth
    the ordinal number of one hundred fifty-five in counting order
    160th, hundred-and-sixtieth
    the ordinal number of one hundred sixty in counting order
    165th, hundred-and-sixty-fifth
    the ordinal number of one hundred sixty-five in counting order
    170th, hundred-and-seventieth
    the ordinal number of one hundred seventy in counting order
    175th, hundred-and-seventy-fifth
    the ordinal number of one hundred seventy-five in counting order
    180th, hundred-and-eightieth
    the ordinal number of one hundred eighty in counting order
    190th, hundred-and-ninetieth
    the ordinal number of one hundred eighty-five in counting order
    200th, two-hundredth
    the ordinal number of two hundred in counting order
    300th, three-hundredth
    the ordinal number of three hundred in counting order
    400th, four-hundredth
    the ordinal number of four hundred in counting order
    500th, five-hundredth
    the ordinal number of five hundred in counting order
    1000th, thousandth
    the ordinal number of one thousand in counting order
    millionth
    the ordinal number of one million in counting order
    billionth
    the ordinal number of one billion in counting order
    trillionth
    the ordinal number of one trillion in counting order
    quadrillionth
    the ordinal number of one quadrillion in counting order
    quintillionth
    the ordinal number of one quintillion in counting order
    n-th, nth
    last or greatest in an indefinitely large series
    show more antonyms...
  4. noun
    the number of elements in a mathematical set; denotes a quantity but not the order
    synonyms: cardinal number
    see moresee less
    types:
    absolute frequency, frequency
    the number of observations in a given statistical category
    googol
    a cardinal number represented as 1 followed by 100 zeros (ten raised to the power of a hundred)
    googolplex
    a cardinal number represented as 1 followed by a googol of zeros (ten raised to the power of a googol)
    type of:
    number
    a concept of quantity involving zero and units
  5. noun
    (Roman Catholic Church) one of a group of more than 100 prominent bishops in the Sacred College who advise the Pope and elect new Popes
    see moresee less
    examples:
    Roberto Francesco Romolo Bellarmine
    Italian cardinal and theologian (1542-1621)
    Cesare Borgia
    Italian cardinal and military leader; model for Machiavelli's prince (1475-1507)
    types:
    dean
    (Roman Catholic Church) the head of the College of Cardinals
    type of:
    bishop
    a senior member of the Christian clergy having spiritual and administrative authority; appointed in Christian churches to oversee priests or ministers; considered in some churches to be successors of the twelve Apostles of Christ
  6. noun
    crested thick-billed North American finch having bright red plumage in the male
    synonyms: Cardinalis cardinalis, Richmondena Cardinalis, cardinal grosbeak, redbird
    see moresee less
    type of:
    finch
    any of numerous small songbirds with short stout bills adapted for crushing seeds
Word Family