Illustration of cardioid
- ABP fixed circle
- PCD first position of rolling circle
- P tracing point
- PM diameter through P
- P1 P2 P3 P4 various positions of P
- P1M1 P2M2 P3M3 P4M4 various positions of PM
cardioid
noun
car·di·oid
ˈkär-dē-ˌȯid 
: a heart-shaped curve that is traced by a point on the circumference of a circle rolling completely around an equal fixed circle and has an equation in one of the forms ρ = a(1 ± cos θ) or ρ = a(1 ± sin θ) in polar coordinates
Examples of cardioid in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Alias Pro features a 25mm cardioid condenser capsule that captures detailed, natural vocals, paired with a mixer that supplies phantom power and intuitive controls.
—
Shubham Yewale, PC Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
The Sennheiser e835 also features a cardioid pickup pattern, which is good at isolating the user’s voice, especially in spaces or venues with poor acoustics.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
All the capsules on stage are set to super cardioid with low-cut and the 12db pad engaged.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024
This was coupled with a doughnut shape of 68 triple 21-inch cardioid subs around the stage for even coverage throughout the venue, backed up by additional subs for the points furthest away.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 2 July 2024
Points in the main cardioid correspond to functions that, when iterated from a starting value of zero, converge to a single number.
—Quanta Magazine, 26 Jan. 2024
The mic also comes with four different polar pattern options: cardioid, omnidirectional, stereo, and bidirectional.
—Tom Price, Popular Mechanics, 14 Mar. 2023
The cells stay behind on the cardioid, which then starts to recover.
—Theresa MacHemer, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 May 2021
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Shubham Yewale, PC Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
The Sennheiser e835 also features a cardioid pickup pattern, which is good at isolating the user’s voice, especially in spaces or venues with poor acoustics.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
All the capsules on stage are set to super cardioid with low-cut and the 12db pad engaged.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024
This was coupled with a doughnut shape of 68 triple 21-inch cardioid subs around the stage for even coverage throughout the venue, backed up by additional subs for the points furthest away.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 2 July 2024
Points in the main cardioid correspond to functions that, when iterated from a starting value of zero, converge to a single number.
—Quanta Magazine, 26 Jan. 2024
The mic also comes with four different polar pattern options: cardioid, omnidirectional, stereo, and bidirectional.
—Tom Price, Popular Mechanics, 14 Mar. 2023
The cells stay behind on the cardioid, which then starts to recover.
—Theresa MacHemer, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 May 2021
Cite this Entry
“Cardioid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cardioid. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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