cardinal number
noun
1
: a number (such as 1, 5, 15) that is used in simple counting and that indicates how many elements there are in an assemblage see Table of Numbers
2
: the property that a mathematical set has in common with all sets that can be put in one-to-one correspondence with it
Examples of cardinal number in a Sentence
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As Super Bowl 58, which will be the first ever staged in Las Vegas, approaches, here are my all-time Super Sunday game rankings (cardinal number, season noted in parentheses):
1.
—
Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024
The result means both axioms are more likely to be true, which in turn suggests that the number of real numbers is bigger than initially thought, corresponding to the cardinal number rather than the smaller (yet still infinite) .
—Quanta Magazine, 23 Dec. 2021
The cardinal number 𝔡 is defined as the smallest possible size of a set of continuous functions sufficient to dominate every possible continuous function.
—Martin Goldstern, Scientific American, 16 Aug. 2021
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Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024
The result means both axioms are more likely to be true, which in turn suggests that the number of real numbers is bigger than initially thought, corresponding to the cardinal number rather than the smaller (yet still infinite) .
—Quanta Magazine, 23 Dec. 2021
The cardinal number 𝔡 is defined as the smallest possible size of a set of continuous functions sufficient to dominate every possible continuous function.
—Martin Goldstern, Scientific American, 16 Aug. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Cardinal number.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cardinal%20number. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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